breathing, and not

i awoke from a dream the other night because i had stopped breathing. i always drape my arms over and around my head and face in complex arrangements when i sleep. i must have draped my arm just-so over my mouth and it blocked my breathing. after waking and moving my arm i started in on a coughing fit that took a few moments to stop. luckily, i am still living and breathing today so that i can write about this startling experience.

i relayed my story to some friends at a bar on sunday night and they shared with me some recent experiences when they stopped breathing. j's story was the best:

j was nearly done in by her breasts! while demonstrating an inverted yoga move for her sister, her breasts (no longer constrained by her sports bra) covered her mouth and blocked her breathing. until that moment, j said, her breasts had always been an asset; now they were trying to kill her! et tu papilla?