And The Beat Goes On...

...bah boom, bah boom, bah boom...

To say my summer of 2024 was different from any other in my years of summers would be an understatement.  Life changing in fact expresses my summer accurately.  

Getting a cardiologist to join my health team consisting of a primary care doc, a dermatologist, an eye doctor, a dentist, an orthopedic doc and after spending #21 sessions in Cardiac Rehab with dozens of other fortunate souls to still be seen and not merely viewed, I fully realized just how fortunate I was to be alive!  I have, as most of you know, spent most of my life in gyms. I feel comfortable, at home and know what to do so my introduction to Cardiac Rehab was not that unusual for me. What was unusual was that the folks in that specialized gym had gray and snow covered heads with faces telegraphing their roads of experience. Translucent hands mapping deep blue streams as thin as my own gripped the handles of treadmills, recumbent bikes, hand weights and walkers. Deep purple amoeba looking spots on arms, hands and legs from taking blood thinners were familiar sights. The slightest bump against anything would produce new ones. I was moved to see clear long tiny hoses in noses pushing cool clean oxygen into hard working cardio systems as folks made their way around an indoor track, some at a snail's pace but still determined to live. I was once again quietly thankful for having quit smoking. Movements were for the most part slow and steady with everyone working at their chosen pace while some showed determination to learn just how hard we could push our heart rates. 220 minus your age, take 80 % of that number and bingo you know the exact range to work your heart safely.  Electronic EKG mobile monitors hung on our upper backs, electrodes stuck to our ribs and collarbones and every single beat of our hearts were monitored for every moment of our workouts. It was a pretty impressive operation. My experience and knowledge with physiology, kinesiology and movement were indeed aids to my timely recovery. My insurance allows me upon referral to Cardiac Rehab in NC to attend 36 sessions. Not everyone sticks it out or needs the entire 36 sessions. I finished my work in 21. I can't say enough positive things about my experience with the trained cardiac nurses and physiotherapist. They, through their caring and constant monitoring and soft nudging was exactly what I needed to be able to once again learn to trust my body, something I think most people just take for granted until...

I had continued to be active: walking, stretching, light weights, golf, light yard work, housework etc. I was somewhat careful of what I ate and how much I ate, but still as the years mounted so did my weight climb more than I liked.  I will always be a lover of wine and everything about it but I had made the decision the month (before my heart attack) to stop drinking my beverage of choice. I drank no other kinds of alcohol so I told myself "for now, I will not be sipping wine!"  I believed it was time to treat my mind and body a bit wiser.  After my retirement years were spent learning and training folks how to sell, taste, buy and play with wine this was I knew not going to be an easy task.  Sipping had become all too frequent but with my circle of support I moved ahead.  We cook with wine, we entertain with wine, we socialize with wine, we pair foods and wine...it was pretty much part of our daily life. The ole "It's 5 o'clock somewhere" slides into life fairly easily when one is retired. The end of our weeks were about the same as the weekends and our days ended with wine, conversations and dinner plans.  I was now challenged to experience a new daily life of breaking a comfortable, enjoyable habit and I knew it was not going to be easy.  I used the same analogy I used when I many many years ago quit smoking.  I would have to find a substitute for my ritual.  I was able to quit smoking by learning to jog from one telephone pole to another. My last cigarette was on a Sunday night and early Monday morning I found myself trying to run from one telephone pole to another without thinking I was going to die. My lungs were screaming! As time went by and the urge to smoke grew so powerful I would run outside and run from one pole to another until I was bent over sucking deep for air and feeling my chest about to explode.  No matter the time, the rain, the snow, the heat...pole to pole I would go until the exploding chest no longer fought for air and poles were no longer counted, only miles.  Running became part of my life. I did not ever want anything to control or own me like that again. And so, I now choose to feel the same way about alcohol.  I do not want to feel like I need to have wine to cook dinners, be social, celebrate an event or partake in times of sadness.  First Wednesday of the week, the new stove was delivered, the family is coming, the week is over, the dog is housebroken, friends are dropping by...we can always find a reason... SO...my 5 o'clocks now come in tall slim cans of lime or ginger herbal infused gently carbonated sparking waters. 

I am taking things one day at a time. My workouts continue to be a priority. My weight is no longer climbing up and after a significant weight loss the scale is going in the correct direction. Being pounds lighter definitely helps with every movement my arthritic body makes. A return to Fall and Winter golf is very near and I continue to be so thankful to all who continue to support my chosen changes.  So as I peek into the rear view mirror of my summer of 2024  I know that we are never too old to learn or to change.  My second chance at life continues to be a hell of a teacher.

p.s. my pumpkin art was my parting gift to the Cardiac Rehab Team