Every Breath You Take

Gavin Rossdale sings in Bush’s hit single ‘Machinehead’ – “Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out”.  

When one of my sons is up to bat, I remind him to breathe.  When my other son is shooting free throws, I remind him to breathe. I am trying to find a way at this point in time to breathe myself.  I find my myself constantly thinking about the impactful choices that my wife and I are currently facing: deciding to send our boys to school for in-person learning (yes that is a term now), searching for work that is accompanied by a paycheck, and making sure that the four of us consistently have enough groceries to eat ALL of our meals in our house.  But between all of those thoughts, I am finding ways to meander around my neighborhood, as it always seems to be easier to breathe when I am out in the fresh air of Pittsburgh.

To combat one of the pitfalls of spending all this time in my house, I have been trying to run more.  Right now, while I can, it is on the trails of Frick Park.  Right now, I do not listen to headphones or music, due the trails mostly being single track, and I have never seen a runner win a collision with a mountain-biker.  So as I huff and puff to finish a 4-mile course that I have outlined, my head clears and I am brainstorming blog ideas and potential podcast episodes; some that I believe are good which turn into actual posts, and some that will sit forever as post-it notes on my desk.  At the same time, I would be lying if I did not admit that while I am running, I also think of political conspiracy theories, 1980s & 1990s collegiate basketball players, a lot of music to remember to listen to and of course remembering to breathe.  

According to the American Lung Association, we breathe an estimated 17,000 breaths a day, and breathe in about 2,000 gallons of air—enough to almost fill up a normal-sized swimming pool. Most of us don't even think about it as we go about our daily routine. But what if your breathing technique was one of the most important skills to having a successful career?

Wind musicians rely heavily on training their lungs. I can only imagine Rob Wagner, saxophonist and clarinetist player for the New Orleans Klezmer All Stars smoking cigarettes.  And according to https://music.stackexchange.com/, there are hundreds of different types of breathing exercises for brass band players.   If Wendell Eugene was still with us, I can only imagine which of these that he prescribed.   Construction workers need to be mindful of their breathing based on all of the dust that surrounds them.  Even those who sit in front of a screen all day hunched over, according to scientists need to actively think about how they are breathing.

So as life around us continues to intensify, remember no matter where you are, escaping for those few moments of fresh air, or auditioning for the Hot 8 Brass Band, you should try and breathe.

Thanks for reading.