lagunabeachindy . com SEPTEMBER 23 , 2022 21
WISDOM WORKOUT :
The Secret Velvet Side of Your Heart
ing any sense of inner solidity .
I value and actively use my imaginative perception to manage my emotional health . Imagination left uncurbed quickly slips into catastrophic mind movies that can unhinge your core reality . During my first weeks home from the hospital , I was being hopelessly tossed from hope to despair like a rag doll caught in the teeth of a ravenous dog . It took time and patience to inch my way back to any sense of peace , but I am happy to say that I am experiencing a renewed trust relationship with my heart .
The key , for me , has been that I needed to reclaim my deep personal relationship with the tender velvet interior that resides at the core of all my heart represents . I needed to regain the courage to notice once again my heart ’ s gentle gifts that bring mystery and magic to my daily life . I have allowed my heart to return to
As we age , heart health moves to the front of the line when it is time to check in with your doctor on the state of your overall health . Blood pressure stability , oxygen levels , glucose numbers , lung capacity all become the focus to determine how we are doing in the day-to-day job of optimal functioning as the number of candles on our birthday cake becomes a massive fire hazard .
Since my upbringing varied considerably from most people , doctor visits were almost unheard of in the rubric of my family constellation . Since I had ten siblings and my position was second eldest , I learned early that if you had any hope of being able to stay home and enjoy a “ sick day ,” good luck . A raging sore throat would yield a glass of salt water that you were told to gargle , and most illnesses were met with a firm once over from my mother and then the declaration : “ You ’ re fine . Once you get out in the fresh air , you ’ ll feel better .”
Since the only reward for being sick was blatant disapproval and physical humiliation by an inhuman necessity to use a thermometer that required that you bare your buttocks , we were the healthiest kids in the neighborhood .
Since my career choices sent me toward obtaining knowledge and understanding of the realms of emotional and mental health more than the workings of the physical body , I remain a true novice when it comes to paying much attention to the dire warnings about possible diseases .
My heart has always been my friend . When I think about my heart , I see a beautiful red heart like kids draw , and I overuse the heart emoji when giving my approval of someone ’ s posts .
Last February , I had a cough that I couldn ’ t get rid of , and so I finally went to the doctor .
Fast-forward , I ended up in the hospital within two weeks and a misdiagnosis of lung issues . I felt like I had fallen down ‘ Alice in Wonderland ’ s rabbit hole . The cardiologist blamed my sweet heart as problematic . Once I got home , I would try to reconnect with the breezy relationship I had always had with my health and failed miserably . Am I going to drop dead ? What am I dealing with ? Is there any hope of getting my peace of mind back ? These thoughts circled in my head , underminthe crucial job of the importance of keeping me connected daily to the awareness of when I am pleased , touched , and gifted by the many easy opportunities that I receive each day , that are of the soft and gentle kind .
Velasquez has been a Laguna Beach local since the 1980s and is the author of “ Beyond Intellect : Journey into the Wisdom of Your Intuitive Mind .” Reach her at : beyondintellect . com .
BY SUSAN MCNEAL VELASQUEZ
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