The Daily Gifts

There are gifts all around us. What are the daily gifts in front of you that aren't physical objects? How does noticing these gifts enhance their beauty or your awareness of them?

Last year I created the 'Gift of Time' project where every month I focused on a different theme centered around a gift of present time. It was such a rewarding project to complete that I wanted to do something like this again in 2025.

​Instead of focusing on various aspects of time as gifts, I thought I would simplify this year and focus on gifts that are already part of our daily lives. These are things we might forget about or overlook unless we take a moment to think about them. I'll call them 'The Daily Gifts'.

What comes to mind when you think of these gifts? What is the first thing you think of?

For January, I wanted to focus on the 'Gift of Breath'.

We breathe in, and life begins. This is the first gift that we are essentially given: breath. I notice my physical breath most during the winter months. I can see it billowing in the cold and watch it dissipate in the air. The sharpness of it awakens my body to all my other senses. I can feel the cold air in my lungs; it expands in my chest as I walk, and because of the cold, I notice how it flows through my body.

Noticing my breath and really paying attention to it, slows things down. Breathing can help us re-focus; it can be grounding. There are endless studies about how breathing helps our health, both physically and mentally.

How does the 'Gift of Breath' help our art? Really, in the same ways that it helps us in our day-to-day lives. Those first, deep, mindful breaths that we take before starting a new piece allow us to focus and determine where to begin. When things aren't going our way and we get frustrated, a few deep breaths can ground us. Taking time away from a piece, to sit with it and breathe, giving it room to breathe, allows our minds to settle, often leading to a renewed burst of creativity when we pick up the brush or pencil again.

This month I want to pay more attention to my breathing. I hope that doing so will give me new perspectives on my work. I hope it gives me time to pause before diving deeper into creating more meaningful pieces.

It is a 'Gift to Breath'.