The Emerald Rose

    I just did a post I urge everyone to read and then let your conscious be your guide, but I thought I’d tell you a little more about what I’ve been up too.

     For starters as you all know I am an “info junkie”, like the Robot Johnny Five from the movie, “more input Stephanie”, or the plant from little shop of Horrors, “Feed me Seymour, feed me”.

      Well after my bypass surgery last spring, another trip back to the hospital a few weeks later, and then trying to “get in shape” (i.e. lose weight and exercise) I was devouring everything I could find on all the above subjects, only to find the info was severely limited. Oh there was a ton of it, but nothing cohesive, like a program with step by step instructions. And by and large everyone was “hands off” for fear of liability issues, but not me! I ain’t got anything now so what can you get from me?

        So I started my research, collecting info from all over the internet from Harvard University to South Africa, and viola, soon I had more than enough to write a good book, so that’s where all my “ink” and keyboard time has been going, (other than working out, and occasionally stopping by the office for a few hours a day,…and of course that ancient tradition of “Happy Hour” for a couple Guinness at my “local”.

       I decided to cull through all I had obtained for information, programs and real “down to earth, realistic solutions”. Like how many times have you heard your Doctor, wife, girlfriend, or one of your other friends say, “You know you could stand to lose a little weight and tone up.”, or “So what happened to the sexy sailor I married?” and a dozen more lines like that. Yeah we all know we could do better,….but we liked being who we are in our skin, at least enough so that the alternative of changing was not as appealing as just shrugging off the comments or changing the subject. “So how about those Red Sox,…great game last night.”

        No matter how “good” you feel, or how “satisfied” with you as you think you are, trust me, it ain’t so deep down, and thus began my journey. (Also the idea of being on this side of the grass is a lot more appealing than the alternative!)

           So,…the working title of the book is “OK, so I’m still here,…now what?” the tag line is ” …a physical, emotional, and spiritual diary and a real experience in continuing to stay alive every day.”

         No deep dark secret here, I’ve blogged about the details of all my surgeries, recoveries, etc. several months ago, and even “believed” as Jack Nickolson once said,”I’m back, hee, hee, hee”.  The bottom line is that any kind of heart condition, and there are many different types of them, are, and should be  life altering. Thank God it’s not quite the same as a cancer diagnosis, and it’s wretched program of poisons, via chemotherapy and radiation, with no real guarantees, but most heart related diagnoses are somewhat manageable,….if you really want to manage them.

        It definitely means a long cold hard look into the mirror, and consciously making that decision to “get a life” that for the most part has been alien to you up to this point.

         I’m hoping to have the book finished and then look to be marketing it by April 2010. (I know I could call it “A year of living safely”,…but it doesn’t trip my trigger, and after all to get someone to buy it I need to catch your attention and hold it, hence the current working title.)

        Maybe I’ll post a few pages down the road on this blog for your review AND comments, lord knows you all write  fairly well and I could sure use the help.

       I’ve also been getting ready for “the transition”, i.e. getting my monthly stipend and medicare card from the government. Not that it solves all of life’s problems, but it’s a help after being taxed to death for over fifty years of working. I think sub-consciously in the back of my mind it is going to give me that old, “up yours” ability when it comes to working for idiots and morons. I have and still do maintain that regardless of the unemployment rate there is work for everyone, maybe not your favorite, maybe not your ideal or career position, but something which will let you look in that mirror and say, “I’m pulling my own weight.” It’s sort of a personal self-esteem issue with me, but I can’t speak for everyone.

       Well it’s about time to head for the gym and get my four miles in and some chest and ab exercises. So until next time I leave you with a quote from one of our best Presidents, Ronald Regan.

          “There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except,….those we place there ourselves.”

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