Tethered to reality

We are, each of us, so tethered to the reality of each moment; our perceptions so colored by whatever struggles loom largest at the time. And so I look at this image, and the way those lines feed in to the right side of it, and do I think broad, noble, curious thoughts, wondering whether those lines are holding up the earth, or imagining myself as a kite, skipping bravely along the air currents while anchored, safely grounded to the earth?

No.  I think about how tired I am, after a week of coughing; how limited every activity, every breath is, by the threat of another coughing fit; how the very air I breathe feels fogged... 

At times like these I'm thankful for the Buddhist practice of Tonglen, as a way of finding in my own reality a vehicle to compassion.  When the breath in is a struggle, I think of all those who struggle to breathe, because of illness, or pollution, or fear.  And with each out breath -- those seem to come more easily -- I breathe that ease into those other troubled lives, and recite quietly to myself, "This, too, shall pass, and all shall be well.  This, too, shall pass, and all shall be well."