In Between Your First And Last Breath

I was watching an interview with the renowned spiritual leader Deepak Chopra and he was discussing meditation.  When he discussed the importance of breathing during the meditative state, I was struck by what he said with regards to the importance of taking a breath.  He reminded people that when we arrive into this world, we arrive with one large breath of air, which is usually followed by a loud cry.  Then as we exit this world, when we die, we leave after taking one final breath as well.  I never thought about the first and last breath concept, however, it definitely made me think about it for a few days.  To think that the same physical thing is bound to a person upon being born or leaving this earth is kind of mind blowing.  The other thought I had shortly thereafter is that when people are born, it is in a hospital (usually) and a good amount of folks that pass on, also occurs at the same place.  The more I thought about this, the more I thought about what happens in between those two defining moments.  Our life is played out in between those two majestic breaths that act as bookends to our entire existence.  When we think back in our life at certain periods we can reflect on what we did and sometimes what we would do differently.  Experience can show us almost a third dimension view of how to proceed with a particular matter, that a younger version of ourselves would not.  I am sure that a scientist or a mathematician has already looked into the formula that would tell us how many total breaths one would take in an average life.  What I suggest to everyone is to not be bogged down by the math that is associated with this concept, rather think about the remaining breaths that you still have left.  We would all be better off if we were to set out to live our best life and the ability to strive for that goal, should be part of our daily quest.  As one gets older, the realization that one is not going to be here forever slowly creeps into your thinking with a bit more frequency.  Hence, we should all be willing to make our remaining breaths be filled with all of the things that will bring happiness, health, compassion and joy to us and those around us.   The next time you take a large breath as you wake up in the morning, think about the importance of what it means to still be breathing and what you will do with the remainder of these breaths along with the legacy that you wish to leave behind.