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16 lagunabeachindy . com FEBRUARY 9 , 2024
GUEST OPINION : WISDOM WORKOUT

Your Capacity to Love

By sUsAn mCneAL VeLAsQUeZ
Since Valentine ’ s Day will be over by the time I write to you again , I thought I ’ d help get you prepared . After all , it ’ s the official day to express your love , or as the jewelry commercials promise : “ There is true love here . In diamonds .”
Feeling a little intimidated ? Are you finding it hard to muster up the exuberance to showcase your appreciation so that your significant other
feels loved and cherished ? Or are you presently a party of one in a Noah ’ s Ark world ?
No matter which description fits you , in honor of this upcoming Valentine ’ s Day , let ’ s take a quick trip into the past to excavate your hidden storehouse of love energy .
Begin to rewind your mind . Here is the task . You are looking for pivotal points , magical moments , take-yourbreath-away encounters , and sacred interventions . The good stuff of life .
What do I mean ? If I asked you to evaluate your day-to-day reality , you would probably respond with mixed reviews . “ It ’ s okay . Acceptable . Awful . So-so . I ’ d give it a five . It ’ s been better .”
There are also those moments , chance meetings , and serendipitous events with your name on them . It is those magical experiences that have the power to transform the quality of your life forever .
I want to pause here to give you time to recall three experiences from your past that opened and expanded your sense of yourself as loveable , capable , and in tune with your best
self . Yes , three . There is no room for stinginess here .
Now , bring your mind into the present . Who is currently a part of your life that you can genuinely say : “ I wouldn ’ t have missed the experience of you for the world .” What opportunities or tasks are you presently involved in that you can honestly say : “ I wouldn ’ t have missed the experience of doing this for the world .”
If you can discover just one person , one task , or one experience that you accept wholeheartedly , you can recalibrate your attitude and increase your capacity to love yourself and your life . You can immediately repair your connection to your life ’ s basic goodness and rightness .
Simply admitting and embracing even one full , clear , yes moment can naturally and fully open you to the opportunity to own the following important , basic truths .
Every single event and experience you have had the fortune or misfortune to have had to happen exactly when , where , and how it did so that
you would be in the right place to meet that special person , land that ‘ I was made for this ’ job , live in your personal paradise , birth the baby , idea , business , or relationship that infuses your life with love .
When you find yourself impatient with life , numbed by the mundane , and longing for the magic of synergistic life events , take a deep breath and remember this : What you are seeking is also seeking you .
Secondly , if we are honest with ourselves , it is easy to get in the way of positive change because we become over-zealous in our quest to improve our lives .
To counteract demands that life do your bidding , adjust your ability to be open , accepting and receptive because a deeper truth is that life always makes the first move . Happy Valentine ’ s Day 2024 . Susan has produced and facilitated workshops in the Human Potential Field for over three decades and is the author of Beyond Intellect : Journey into the Wisdom of Your Intuitive Mind . www . susanvelasquez . com

Heartfelt
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cardiac screening events . Aga has completely recovered and is now a healthy , active college student at Southern Methodist University . She volunteers to assist at Heartfelt screenings when she is home from school .
Cardiac arrest – the heart ’ s sudden cessation because of a disruption in its electrical current , usually resulting in sudden death – is entirely different from heart attack , often associated with lifestyle and diet . Athletes have a greater chance of sudden cardiac arrest because their hearts work harder .
There are several common causes of sudden cardiac death . The most prevalent is ( HCM ), a thickening of the heart muscle that can cause restricted blood flow . One person in about 400 has it . Heartfelt screenings can turn up congenital abnormalities ( malformed heart structure at birth ); myocarditis ( resulting when a virus infects and weakens the heart ); dilated cardiomyopathy ( enlargement of the heart ); Long QT syndrome ( irregular heartbeat and fainting are common symptoms ); Marfan syndrome ( common in very tall individuals ); Wolff- Parkinson-White syndrome ( an extra electrical pathway exists in the heart ).
Dr . Atwal of Laguna Beach Cardiology , one of Morrell ’ s partners in her quest to save lives , is a sports fan whose dream was to screen young people and athletes for cardiac abnormalities .
She voluntarily supervises screen-
Ali Aga ( center ), whose life-threatening heart condition was detected at a Heartfelt screening in 2018 , is now a busy SMU student who volunteers at Heartfelt screenings when she ’ s home from college . When Aga was a 14-year-old on the Dana Hills High School tennis team , she thought her racing heart was normal . Dr . Dawn Atwal of Laguna Cardiology , left , and Holly Morrell , founder of Heartfelt , work to avoid preventable deaths from sudden cardiac arrest through Morrell ’ s nonprofit . Photo / Heartfelt ings , reads and interprets results , and frequently offers one-on-one consultations with families whose loved ones have been identified as having a heart condition . She even gave Morrell a key to her office to make weekend screenings in a medical setting possible . Those who prefer a more private environment can arrange for home Heartfelt screenings . Additionally , employers can offer a life-saving perk to employees by engaging Heartfelt for a company-wide cardiac screening event at their offices .
Atwal noted , “ One to two percent of the individuals screened by Heartfelt have a serious heart issue . Through Holly ’ s efforts , nearly 60,000 people have been screened , saving thousands of lives over 25 years . I find this work very rewarding and will continue to do it until I can ’ t do it anymore .”
According to Morrell , screening for hidden heart abnormalities should be available to all , regardless of ZIP code or income . Community event screenings are $ 100 as a suggested donation , but scholarships are available .
“ We offer this service at a fraction of the actual cost , even though this is becoming an increasingly tall order , given the expense and effort involved . But I am here today because of detection and awareness . I want to prevent needless tragedies . Heartfelt is filling a need and saving lives .”
To schedule a screening or donate , visit https :// heartfeltscreening . org