Enjoy life while you can!

Life is too short!

Almost 15 months ago I suffered a heart attack. Thankfully, I had recently read about the different warning signs that men and women may experience and that list instantly popped into my mind. My first symptom seemed somewhat normal and with the pain in the back of my neck, I presumed that I needed a simple visit to my chiropractor. A few moments later I noticed a very unusual sensation in my chest – not pain – just a very strange sensation that I had never experienced before.

I wondered to myself, “Am I having a heart attack?”

Not wanting that to be the case and yet aware that I may be leaving the house abruptly and going on an overnight visit, I decided to close the windows on that warm, late summer day. I gathered my wallet and keys and returned to my chair feeling a little light-headed.

Dwarf and miniature conifers can be easily grown and enjoyed for many years in containers.

Another moment later and I began to experience a mild but sharp pain shooting down my jaw and I said to myself, “That’s four, I’m calling 911.”

I made the call and wheeled my office chair out by the front door, which was already open due to the lovely warm day. A very, very slow ten minutes later the paramedics arrived and seemed to stroll slowly up my walkway to discover me sitting by the door.

“Hi Guys. Glad you’re here!”

After connecting me to their equipment, one of the medics casually informed me that he believed I was having a heart attack.

“I concur!” I replied, becoming a little anxious that we weren’t moving more expeditiously.

In what seemed far too long, they hooked me up and off we went, sirens blaring, to the best coronary hospital in the area. I wondered as we moved through light traffic on that Sunday early afternoon, why we seemed to be moving so slowly. I thought that the key to survival with heart attack victims was quick response and action!

Even folks with very little garden space may enjoy the joy of gardening with dwarf and miniature conifers!

When I arrived at the Cath Lab, I was greeted with smiles and the good news that the team was all warmed up since I was the 4th guest that day. I was taken into the Cath Lab and the procedure was done to unblock two arteries. Everyone along the way told me that I had done everything right and there was a huge chance for survival and very little damage. Only about an hour had gone by from the time I called 911 to when the nice nurse wheeled me to the room where I spent the next 48 hours or so.

Of the 4 heart attack patients they saved that warm, summer Sunday, I was the first to check out and return home to rest.

You just never know when your time will come to move beyond life on this world. I strongly believe that one should always extend love and kindness to those they encounter and one should embrace every opportunity to have fun. I had an opportunity to talk about my garden and dwarf conifers with my nurse. Even though she was over-worked and stressed with her own struggles in life, I was able to share some gardening stories with her in the wee hours of the morning.

Dwarf and miniature conifers can make the best containers look even better! The year-round color and texture of conifers sure is better than messy mounds of brown, dead foliage through the winter!

She seemed to enjoy the thought of adding dwarf and miniature conifers to the containers on her deck. She loves plants, and at this time in her life she simply doesn’t have time to care for a large garden. She does have time for several containers of mixed plants on her deck and she cherishes her quiet time with a warm cuppa brew in that small space. I told her about the year-round fun to be had when filling those containers with dwarf and miniature conifers.

Even the smallest balcony can become a calming and therapeutic space with dwarf and miniature conifers!

I believe it was healing for me to share about my love of conifers and I believe it gave my nurse a new perspective on how she might enjoy gardening in the limited space that she can currently manage. Her eyes brightened as she began to think about the possibilities available to her in making that small space even more therapeutic until her life calms to the place where she can extend her own joy of gardening off of the deck and out into her yard.

Life is short – let’s enjoy it and bring as much joy as possible into the lives of those around us through a friendly smile—and gardening!

Ed-
Conifer Lover