Breathtaking Moments

The other day I met a strange handsome man—not an uncommon event out here in LA.  It actually took my breath away—what girl does not like to have a flirt at the end of a workout when she’s sure she’s looking’ a little worse for the wear? 

There were some kind unique moments that also took my breath away too.

I was out jogging around my local park. I live in a very multi-ethnic neighborhood-where I am in the minority.  What was intriguing this evening at the park is there were three middle class looking men  behind one of the back stops at one of the baseball diamonds. Huh, I thought to myself--never seen that class of grown men here...then as I pass around my third lap I smell what can only be described by me as a distinctly unkosher smell. There I had a moment of choking and coughing--my fresh breath being taken away from me.

There was the moment driving down the street and the weather was so beautiful that I had the windows down and I'm rocking out to some sort of country music (must have been Sunday-I listen to country in the car on Sundays) and this shump rolls up next to me with his cigarette smoke tumbling out of the car---I say gross--roll up the window and continue my love fest with music--another time my breath was taken away from me.  

Then there's the moment of a beautiful sunset--when the sky turns this very odd neon pink and the clouds look crazy neon...a moment that was breath taking for the beauty of the hue of the sky. But breathtaking because I'd just trudged up a bunch of stairs-as a part of my walkabout with my dog. 

Then there was the moment that the orange ball of a sun--sat smack dab on the water that was as blue as the sky around it...and oddly the sun seemed to just sit there and wait for my friend and I to absorb the breathtaking beauty. 

We also can't forget that sometimes a breathtaking moment is not ours alone. The moment when I convince my friend to touch the waters of the Pacific Ocean--because I once went to the beach and just ran and didn't touch the water--and I beat myself up about it forever.  So she touched the water--and I said isn't it great-even though a cool breeze was coming off the water and we were chilled.  She said--yes-but it holds pain for me--because of my sister's death here in the ocean.  Again--a moment where we both were breathless because of the sad beauty of the loss of a love mixed with the powerful wonder of waves crashing on the shore. Breathtaking.

 Come to think of it—I can’t count how many of these breathtaking moments I have—because they are so many—too many to count. The wonder of life-the joy of amazement-the moment you suck in the air of life because you are uniquely surprised at what you’ve experienced- breathtaking.