Breathless in Tibet

Facebook friend, Sara, an athlete from the Pacific Northwest, posted a great quote today that took me back a few months when we were climbing the seemingly endless mountains of Tibetan Sichuan. She didn’t credit the source, but maybe someone else knows,

Life is measured best not by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away…

Tibet took our breath away in more than one way. We were not over 13,000 feet in elevation when I took this photo of Claire, it was early in the day, early in the climb. We saw this skull beside the road and decided to take a break. We took several pictures with each of us, and Lucky our stuffed panda, replaced the skull and got back to the business of making circles with our legs, circles with our wheels, writing another day on the map of our days.

Our ostensive purpose for this journey across Tibetan China and SE Asia was to search for the real and mythical Shngri-la. But of course we were looking for much more; more breaths, more encounters that would take our breath away, with simple happiness, pleasure at living.

Take note of the moments in your day that make you notice your breathing, such a miracle, and the times that take your breath away. Live in thankfulness.