NY Times August 2010

Rick Hamlin wrote a piece in the Opinion section of the NY Times, titled 'My Heart's Long Surprise', about his experience leading up to and after heart surgery. The point I resonated with is that there is the operation and then the recovery...and the mental discovery of a new outlook on life.

Chest Compression CPR

This six minute video from Sarver  Heart Center at U of Airzona  shows how to do chest compression cpr on adults who collapse and may be experiencing heart stoppage. Note- it's not for children or drowning victims.

Taking action is premium...they explain that for every minute of delay the survival rate drops by 10%.

The Heart Life - for Ed

Two days awake, no food, brow now full of sweat

And after ten seconds of prayer

He is asleep

Rest has washed over him

Peace has washed over him

Stress now released

Watching his chest

Rise and fall

While he sits in the mall's soft chair

I picture the beating heart

The powerful left ventricle

Pumping and distributing blood through the body

Knowing his heart is under stress

This sleep is welcome

This sleep is peace

I recognize the sacredness and mystery

Of this life, this man, his mind, his body

And of our humanness

Giant Heart

Growing up 25 miles North of Philadelphia my school class trips frequently included The Franklin Institute. Back then the Institute was a collection of technology that we walked through and we were impressed by the sheer quantity of historical engineering stuff, rooms full of hundreds of bicycles and other technology. The display we all looked forward to was walking through the two story giant heart (photo and caption from Franklin Institute). For most layman and many physicians the heart is explained with parallels to a mechanical pump. However by walking through the giant heart and studying more of its operation the heart is a wondrous symbol of integrated intelligence. Interpreting messages from the lower part of the brain stem, the heart knows when to beat, it knows perfect timing on when to rest and pump. Its 4 control valves time their closure to maximize efficiency and synchronization between the four chambers. And the outcome... it sends fresh oxygenated blood to the body and then accepts depleted O2 blood back as it then readies for the next pump out to the lungs. It operates in divine rhythm.

I love looking at the arteries and veins on the outside of the heart muscle. The red arteries indicate O2 rich blood being sent to the organs while the blue veins are for O2 depleted blood returning to be refreshed. There is no other organ like the heart; it is the only muscle with dual purpose to both provide food and also feed itself. Thinking about the operation of the heart-lung interface is also fascinating. There is a chemical gas exchange mechanism in operation. Imagine that somehow, a cellular transfer of O2 exists between the alveoli and the capillaries.

Once after a medical experience surrounding my heart I began to imagine what blood flow might look like to a personified blood cell equipped with sight and velocity indicators. That whole experience of imagination and interpretation has been a visualization of wellness, a foundation of my heart connection.

Encoded Intelligence

Like the maple sprig tipped with red spring blossom, the Soul knows its natural desire. It knows what size branch to create and how wide to grow as it reaches up to the infinite sky. It is encoded intelligence within its being. The tree simply unfolds to a broad leaf in the exact way and the exact time it was meant to be. It could be no other way.