When we are given opportunities to have a moment of “life” flash before our eyes or wrap our brains around an idea our mortality is truly inevitable within this body, it is a gift! The kind of gift one should never underestimate or even keep quiet about.

Yesterday I was out enjoying nature on my run when suddenly my heart tried to go on its own run. My breath was normal, my stride was not difficult, the temperature warm, yet I was not feeling overly hot. However, my heart was behaving as if I were climbing the side of a mountain, with a puma chasing me. My entire body was vibrating with great intensity, while my mind had no awareness to how or why.

Slowing a bit, I placed my hand on my heart to confirm the source of the vibration. I could literally feel the muscle inside my chest pounding away on the cage preventing it from virtually escaping. If this was not a hilarious analogy for me within my life, in how I move, I am not sure I could have created anything more perfect.

However, in the moment this is not where my mind immediately went to. No, in fact I calmly came to a walk, looked around to see if there were any other people nearby, continued to take deep, calming breaths to try and help my heart slow down. The beats per minute had to be well over 200 and my stomach had become a bit woozy. I noticed my entire body was pulsating with the beating of my heart, indicating just how hard that little muscle was working.

I did not panic, other than the thought that I did not want to become the dried up, squished lizards in Puerto Rico, baking on the pavement, so I tried to stay near where someone would actually see me. This image really did pass through my mind, with great empathy for their little lives ending in such a tragic and insulting way.

I was not scared, rather curious and unusually calm. I thought of my father who recently had to have his heart shocked out of Atrial fibrillation (where the chambers sort of get out of harmony in their communication and need to work extra hard to get back) only 3 weeks previous and my brother who went through the very same thing 5 years ago. Then there was my grandmother who was taking medication for her Atrial Fibrillation…

What is this all about? Why am I experiencing this? I closed my eyes, tried my best to sit still, listen and just simply be in the moment, rather than a part of it. Allowing my heart to do whatever it needed to do. Approximately 5 minutes passed and it started to slow a bit, calming me almost instantly. I recalled our responsibility to help heal our ancestors, our gifts within our beings to heal genetic diseases and the power that our minds have, allowing us to do unspeakably miraculous things.

I also quickly viewed all that has taken place within my emotional being since returning to Portland, giving me a moment to reflect. This was no accident or family event, rather my body clearly talking to me. Had I just experienced something miraculous? Had I joined my family’s long lineage of heart disease and bumpiness (totally a medical term ;-)? These thoughts continued to swirl in my mind.

To be continued (tomorrow)…