He yelled at the TV, yelled at the radio, yelled at customer service people, yelled at the phone after they hung up on him, yelled at his wife, and yelled at us. And that's what I grew up knowing: that the only way to deal with a stressful situation is to grab on to the edge of your seat and yell at something or at someone. Then, a couple of years ago, I got the call about my dad's inevitable heart attack. A quadruple bypass surgery later, and a bunch of little gadgets regulating his heart, he's a changed man, because he knows there's no alternative.
My father's major heart attack was a wake up call for me as well. If I continue to eat junk, if I continue to stress out about every little thing, and if I continue to fight things I have no control over, my heart attack will be just as inevitable as my dad's.
We're moving to a new house soon, and I have big plans. I will get that expensive juicer. I will learn a new recipe every month. I will find more time to run. Maybe swim too. I will start meditating again. And I will try to keep that elusive balance in my life, and remain calm. Always, calm.
Three posts from fellow blogging dads dealt with heart attacks this week:
Doug from Laid Off Dad wrote about the heart attack he had last week.
Then Jeff from Out With the Kids wrote about nearly having a heart attack and about a visit to the ER that has made him decide to make changes in his life.
And finally, Carter from DadScribe wrote about the heart attack he had 5 years ago, and about the changes he's made since then.
These three posts, the before, during, and after heart attack posts, can hopefully go a long way to scare some of us into doing what we need to do to stay healthy, happy, and alive for a little bit longer. Meanwhile, please head over to their blogs and send them some encouragement.
