Essay Example on In Ah But the Breezes by Noelle Oxenhandler

In Ah But the Breezes by Noelle Oxenhandler she discusses the word but She defines the word but Outside the word but derives from the Latin ob meaning out 316 She goes on to discuss how but is often used when something we cannot control from the outside comes barging into our lives Throughout the story the author refers to her friend Michel Michel is someone she met while skiing in France Many obstacles come up in their story and the Oxenhandler always find herself saying but When Oxenhandler took Michel s mom s side in an argument about how Michel should quit scaling which led to Michel cutting her off she thinks But this isn t what I wanted 317 It was outside of her own control She did not want Michel to cut her off however there was nothing she could do This situation was out of her own control The word but is used because she could not control how Michel would react when she took his mom s side Oxenhandler gives the word but a negative connotation But is used when someone cannot do anything about a situation or when they are upset about a situation Much like an obstacle that we cannot get over For example in a situation where a mother is preparing a large dinner for her family and she wants it to just be perfect However when she drops all of the food carrying it to the table she thinks But why can I not just have one perfect night She is upset that she dropped her food and thinks that it is the end The but is referring to how her night could have gone perfectly and then it turned into a disaster 

But also with using the word but all of the time it could turn into something positive Such as Oxenhandler states about using but so often Gradually they begin to feel less alien less like obstacles in the way rocks in the path 319 Over time as things keep happening the word but could turn into something positive When she was in Thailand she met a monk and learned that in Buddhism the but used for suffering turns into the but of the path 318 Oxenhandler discusses how she had a fear of flying However the fear soon disappeared and turned into a new kind of experience Something she could soon enjoy She would give all the reasons why she could not fly tossing the word but into her reasoning that soon she would wonder But what if I tried That but turned into something positive She realized that but is the secret to human happiness 320 But is merely a word that can be used to continue going She compares and and but by saying that and is used to stop a sentence car truck and bus but but keeps the sentence thought or experience going But I want to do this But makes humans keep going and keep pushing forward because without but the sentence would end In Oxenhandler s life for example she thought her life was over after Michel broke things off with her but it all changed when she was on a flight home But keeps the sentence going just like in life humans have to continue to find ways to keep going There was a time in my life when I was most depressed and felt loss 

This was after the passing of my grandfather We knew it was coming and that it was inevitable but that still did not help the situation There is the word but my family knew my grandfather was going to die and knew that it was completely out of our control there was nothing we could do to save him His passing made me depressed and I just felt broken He was my best friend the person I would tell all my secrets He would sit there and listen and at the end of all of my tears he would give the best advice on how to handle the situation His passing was out of my control To think about what I could have done to take better care of myself is hard Grieving is natural It probably took longer than it should have and to take better care of myself I should have not closed myself off so much My friends would try to help me feel better by taking me out however I would always turn them down To take better care of myself I should have went with them I should have found activities to make me feel better and not so down Because of this experience I now know that running is a great stress relief for me I am glad that I found a way to take care of myself when I am feeling depressed