The more years I accumulate on this earth, the more I realize life is tenuous.

It is short. It is fleeting. It is fragile. It it ethereal. It is delicate. It it beyond beautiful.

It can be abrupt and unexpected. Unanticipated, not to mention amazing.

Unpredictable at its best. You never know what will come next.

And that is part of the magic, as well as the reality — or perhaps the fear.

Life is a miracle — for each of us. Every moment of every day.

Imagine this. Fathom. Understand. Consider. Contemplate it. Seriously contemplate it — for more than just a second or two.

Our eyes peer out into the world, refracting light rays and transforming them into images which become electrical impulses that are carried to the brain. Our ears convert sound waves into a format the brain interprets and understands as meaningful sounds. Our tongues differentiate between sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savory tastes. Our noses can detect one trillion (with a T) different distinct scents. Our fingers are packed with thousands of nerve endings, allowing us to interpret the size, shape and texture of objects.

We don’t often think about (or appreciate) our five senses. They just are.

Our hearts beat without us ever giving any conscious thought to the process. Our lungs take in air and separate oxygen from carbon dioxide, using the former and expelling the latter.

Our blood circulates said oxygen throughout our limbs, organs and skin. Our liver and kidneys remove toxins. Our skin regenerates without a thought. Every cell in our body does the same. Our body temperature regulates itself. Fingernails, toenails and hair all grow without any effort on our part.

We breathe. We blink. We heal. We digest food. We poop. All without having to consciously will any of it into being.

We are alive because this amazing system works to keep us afloat without any conscious effort on our part. It’s like that pink bunny: it just keeps going.

One wrong turn — one system out of whack — and the whole body is off kilter. One domino down and they all could fall.

Tenuous.

But beautiful. And predictable.

Yet not.

Life is anything but predictable. You think you know what lies ahead. You plan it all out because it seems so simple and obvious — clear as a bell. Clear as hell. How else could it be?

But life is seldom obvious. That would be too easy.

It is obscure. Uncertain. Often unknown and unsure. Vague at best. 

But wonderful and wonder-filled. The obscurity keeps us guessing. The uncertainty makes it more beautiful. The unknown and unsure make it exciting. Even vagueness creates wonder and wonderment.

If life were predictable, if it were promised and secure it wouldn’t be as valuable. It wouldn’t be as precious. 

And the more you notice — really notice and become aware of the miracles right within you — the more you appreciate it all. Your sight, hearing, sense of taste, touch and smell.

Your beating heart. Your breath. The beautiful, tenuous truth of life.

All of it.

— Jill Pertler’s column Slices of Life appears regularly in the Times. She can be reached at slicescolumn@gmail.com.