Some years ago, I found myself recuperating from a series of lung surgeries and reflecting on the Joni Mitchell lyric, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.” I didn’t realize how much I would miss breathing, or how physically and psychologically difficult it would be to go without a full breath. It dominated my thoughts, it ruined my day, it made me cranky. It had been months since I had been able to take a full, deep, satisfying breath and it would be months before I was able to again. I would survive, I would eventually regain my ability to be active and breathe fully, but, for that period, I was suffering. Suffering is both universal and uniquely…