“Live. And Live Well.BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply.Be PRESENT. Donot be past. Do not be future. Be now.On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day,roll down the windows andFEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth ofthe sun.If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day toFREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE.Get knee-deep in a noveland LOSE track of time.If you bike, pedal HARDER and if you crash then crashwell.Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done-a paper well-written, a projectthoroughly completed, a play well-performed.If you must wipe the snot from your3-year old's nose, don't be disgusted if the Kleenex didn't catch it allbecause soon he'll be wiping his own.If you've recently experienced loss, thenGRIEVE. And Grieve well.At the table with friends and family, LAUGH.If you'reeating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke.And if you eat, then SMELL.The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak onthe grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven.And TASTE.Taste every ounce of flavor.Taste every ounce of friendship.Taste every ounce of Life.Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift.”

“Every ounce of breath we inhale is invention and every ounce of breath we exhale could be re-invention. ”

“You have a choice. Live or die. Every breath is a choice. Every minute is a choice. Every time you don't throw yourself down the stairs, that's a choice. Every time you don't crash your car, you re-enlist.”

“But what if scrambling to pay the bills takes every minute of your day, every ounce of your creativity? What if you can't afford an au pair? What if you can't even afford an ordinary babysitter?”

“What's it like to fall in love, Tessie?" I asked.She gazed into the darkness for a long moment, then her smile widened. "Well, when you see that certain man you heart flies like paper on the wind--don't matter if you just see him one minute ago or one year ago. When you with him, ain't nothing or nobody else in the whole world but him. You might be walking down the same old street you walk on every day, but if you with him, your feet don't hardly touch the ground anymore, like you just floating on a little cloud. And, honey, you want his arms to be around you more than you want air to breathe.”

“Do I like you?No. I don't like you. I don't think about you every moment of every day. I never relive the way it felt to have your hand holding mine, to be so close to you I could smell you, feel the warmth of you, breathe the air that you breathe. I don't remember your arm around me, making me feel safe, special...WANTED.”

“Every breath is a choice. Every minute is a choice. To be or not to be. Every time you don't throw yourself down the stairs, that's a choice. Every time you don't crash your car, you re-enlist.”