Keeping it all together

The mind is a terrible thing to waste.

So it must be kept in check.   The cerebral spinal fluid is a subtle stasis field for just that purpose.

That's what my friend Dave K. thought.   But he was late for my little get together.   He thought he would drop in unexpectedly.   But for some reason his chute didn't open.  There he was, dead, sprawled out on the side walk.   The parachute was still strapped on his back, unopened.  His body twisted in all sorts of contortions when it hit the ground. 

I wondered what must have been going though his mind as he was frantically pulling on the ripcord trying to get the damn thing open. Then again--maybe he died peacefully, resigned to his fate, breathing deeply:  in and out, every three to five seconds in a cycle of inhalations and exhalations. Maybe he was totally relaxed and his Heart Rate Variability didn't deviate from 100 until the unfortunate impact with terra firma.

If Dave K did it, I can't think of one valid reason why we all can't slow down this entire burlesque show called life into breath by breath increments.  Every step we take every move we make one breath at a time.  It would take a ton of discipline, but a little discipline never hurt anyone.   Wouldn't it be great if we could live with that much intentionality?

But who am I crapping?  I wolf down food with scarcely a second thought.  Two gulps and the glass of wine is gone.   I look up from work and half the day is almost gone.  I only approach the one breath at a time method when the shit is totally hitting the fan.   When its late at night and my mind is racing and I'm doing all I can to put the stasis field around it. 

My mendicant is sitting cross legged on the rickety wooden steps leading down to the silly silly river.  An old man sitting straight backed.  He seems to be staring at the evening sunlight's fading reflection into the stream.  Tears brim in his wide eyes and pulse down his leathery cheeks.  A small mosquito has settled into the corner of his left eye to have a drink.   I put a few coins in his tin cup just so he can keep it all together.