Don Kowalewski
Writer. Ad Sales and Marketing. Social Media Content Creator. Aeropress Coffee. Makes the best salsa in the world.
The Joy of Breathing from The Moth StorySLAM
If you’ll take the 6-minutes to watch this, please know this …this happened when I was 35 years old. I’m 46-years-old, now. And at the end I act like all at once I figured everything out. You might think for the past 11-years I’ve been nothing but a source of joy and happiness and inspiration to other people. I’m still a work in progress. The good news is, more days than not, I’m acting less selfishly and thinking of others.
My night at The Moth was inspired by hearing Matthew Dicks on the The Art of Manliness Podcast (Episode 462, “How To Tell Better Stories”, hosted by Brett McKay). Until that Podcast, I didn’t know “storytelling” was a thing. The Podcast found me at the right time in my life. 2018 was difficult because my dear friend passed away suddenly, and shockingly, at 47-years-old. He was a clean-living, in-shape, 5K-running, family man and an all around good person. He had a heart defect since birth, but at 47-years-old, having been a runner his entire life, he probably thought he was OK. Like I said …shocking.
This story is not about him, but my bold move to get on-stage and tell my story happened because Matt’s death woke me up and I vowed to stop sleepwalking through life.
Thanks for reading, watching, and listening. Make other people happy, and you’ll know joy.
Don Kowalewski 