Kiss the Wind

To kiss the wind is to surrender, to pause, to breathe. It is the act of stepping back from the relentless pace of life and embracing the present moment. Worrying about tomorrow serves little purpose—after all, what will it bring? Likely the same unyielding cycle we’ve all come to know. I learned this lesson the hard way, pushing myself beyond my limits, as if I could function as two or three people at once.

Thankfully, I didn’t pay the ultimate price. Instead of suffering a heart attack or a debilitating stroke, I endured two months of relentless insomnia. My sleepless nights stretched into weeks, amplifying my anxiety to unbearable levels. One weekend, utterly exhausted and at my breaking point, I sought medical help, booking the first available appointment.

The clinic visit turned into an emergency. My blood pressure had skyrocketed to a staggering 240/136. The nurse, her voice steady yet urgent, told me, “It’s time to take a ride, Mr. Shaw.” Within 20 minutes, I was admitted to the Intensive Coronary Care Unit at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital.

Looking back, those sleepless nights may have been a blessing in disguise. They forced me to confront the harm I was inflicting on myself and reevaluate my priorities. Life is precious—not out of ego, but because we all hold intrinsic value. Whether you call it the Universe, Source, or God, something greater affirms our worth. Every existence carries significance.

Yet so many of us fail to see it. We lose ourselves in the grind, disconnected from our spiritual essence—the essence that is rooted in love. The farther we stray from that love, the greater our struggles become. Often, it takes a crisis to remind us of what truly matters.

Labels—the identities assigned to us by culture, geography, or circumstance—bind us in invisible chains. They dictate expectations, shaping our lives from birth until death. But in the end, when the physical fades away, we finally understand: none of it truly mattered. What remains is love—the force that endures beyond time.

No one is punished for their mistakes. Life is not about judgment; it is about growth. Every misstep is a lesson, an opportunity to reconnect with love. The sooner we embrace this truth, the richer our journey becomes.

For me, the wake-up call arrived in the form of a hospital stay. It reminded me to slow down, to breathe, to kiss the wind. Life is fleeting, but it is also beautiful when lived with intention and love. The world will continue to turn, but we have the power to decide how we move through it—not as overworked machines, but as conscious beings connected to something greater.

The lesson is simple: take a moment. Whether through meditation, deep breaths, or stepping away from the chaos, allow yourself to reconnect with what truly matters. The wind is always there, waiting to carry your kiss—if only you let go.