This is a favorite of mine for noticing how fleeting it can be to really appreciate the breath – it’s startled away at the arrival of the smallest thought. All the time, I’ll be dazzled by the spontaneous generosity of every breath, only to lose sight of it because now I’m remembering I’ve got to get a receipt out of my email archive. But this is an appreciation I can snap into all at once if I just take a moment to put all my attention on this quiet little miracle.
Thoughts are to awareness of the breath like waving a piece of sheet metal and banging pots and pans to a deer in the forest. Be quiet and still, and out it comes to be marveled at.