Honestly ...

I think I'm getting worse. I do. Yesterday, I climbed about six or seven stairs toward the exit at the courthouse (I've been on jury duty this week) and I had to stop and catch my breath at the top before taking another step. Lately, when I take our dog Percy for a walk, I really have to slow him down. He's full of energy and loves to pull me on the leash. I try to let him run a little, but even the effort of a hurried walk tires me before we pass two driveways. It's not the kind of exhausted breathlessness you might feel if you ran quickly, or climbed multiple sets of stairs, it's a sort of ... I don't know. It's hard to explain. Of course, I feel out of breath. But it's more than that. It's the feeling of my pounding heart that is most worrisome --  a heart that works double-time to supply the oxygen my body needs. My lungs expand, but they don't seem to expand enough. And they just don't seem able to supply enough oxygen to my blood.

Do you think about your breathing? I never paid it much attention before. But I tell you truly, I think about it now. I think about it a lot. Honestly.