"E" Day

Yoga, vitamins, exercise, and a good diet are all sources for healthiness and stress relief. In this fast-paced society where we go about our tasks at breakneck speed, it's difficult to find a reprieve. We live in a "world interruptus" with demands and expectations (many self-imposed) where the phones are continually ringing, vibrating or playing choruses on our belt buckles, or in the depths of our pocketbooks, or just shooting directly down our ear canals. In addition, we become privy to other people's interruptions. We are accidentally (or on purpose?) escorted into the emotions of their frenzied worlds. We try to make attempts at relaxation in the form of outings with friends, movies, or chilling out watching our favorite television shows. But in this world of immediate wireless connectedness, can it be called a true reprieve when there is the off-chance of being interrupted?

Back to the point--(Sorry for interrupting!) It was definitely an interruption to my day when my doctor told me several years ago that I needed a routine echocardiogram. How would I possibly find the time to squeeze in a live animation of my heart with its accompanying intricate chambers, ventricles, valves and such? The thought of it echoooooed in my mind for days. Why couldn't they invent a "do-it-yourself-echo" kit to be done in the comfort of our homes? They could call it "Home is Where the Heart Is" Kit.

On "E" Day, I approached the ultrasound building, as the grocery list for my eighteen year olds' bottomless pit of a stomach swirled in my head along with numerous other "life" tasks. I noticed an arrow pointing to the "E" door indicating that I was a "heartbeat" (pun intended) away. I knew then that I did, in fact, have an actual heart because I felt it "flutter and sink." I was approached by the nice nurse who told me that the procedure would take thirty minutes. I was thinking, "Oh, no, I'm going to be trapped in there for thirty whole minutes?"

Little did I know what was awaiting me. I was ushered into the "E-room," as the nurse told me to lie down on the examining table. Ahhhh -- it was like a comfy couch. The lights were dim and there was soft music playing in the back ground. Hmmm -- this might not be so bad after all. At that moment, I made the conscious choice to give into my exhaustion. She began rotating the mouse (my word, not theirs) over my heart. Based on the rhythmic heart beats, it was reassuring that I was, in fact, an alive, viable person. The realization slowly washed over me that I was in a bubble-like dimension and safe from disturbance. I began to release the "to do list" that had moments before felt so important. It struck me that there was no possibility of phone interruptus. I was being transported into another type of chamber (pun intended again)'"a tranquil protected one.

In addition, I was on a fascinating educational journey. Our hearts are amazing instruments. I must have a friendly heart. I could have sworn I saw my valve waving at me. I was so disappointed when the "mouse technician" said it was over. I sat up and realized my urgent "to do list" didn't seem so pressing. She asked me if I had children and in my fuzzy, laissez-faire state, I told her that I couldn't remember.

Let's travel back to the first sentence and reword it to read: Yoga, vitamins, exercise, a good diet and a routine echocardiogram--all good sources for healthiness and stress relief.