A wakeup call!

29 February 2024.

It began at about 9:00 a.m. - something was not quite right with me that morning, but I could not identify what it was. I was sitting in one of my favorite spots eating a little breakfast and watching an episode of the "Daisy Jones and the Six" series. I had several hours before I had to report for work and figured I would discover what was off before I had to head that way to begin my workday. I moved around a bit, took dirty dishes to the sink dropped some debris into the garbage can, and just started thinking about what I needed to get done before heading out. 

As I was sitting on the chair taking my morning medication and vitamins I noticed that I was having some discomfort in my arms (yes both) that felt a lot like the angina I occasionally have in my chest but a little more intense. I then realized that there was a building pressure in my chest that immediately gave me some concern. I reached for the nitroglycerin that I always have nearby (usually in my left pants pocket) but didn't find it there. I recalled that I had placed it on the island in the kitchen along with my wallet, keys, and glasses. Getting up to retrieve it was uncomfortable but tolerable.

I noticed the time as I placed one tablet under my tongue (to dissolve) and returned to my seat.

 Nothing changed.

I placed another tablet under my tongue about 6 minutes later.

Nothing changed.

I placed another tablet under my tongue about 6 minutes after the second and moved to a more solid and upright chair.

Nothing changed.

I am a firm believer in following medical instructions and I knew that with no change in pain, pressure, and discomfort I needed to call 911 and request an ambulance. I called my sweetheart at work and let her know what was happening and asked her to find a ride home right away (we are functioning with just one car currently) which she did.

I called 911 and explained what was happening to the dispatcher who immediately sent an ambulance my way. I unlocked the apartment door and opened it slightly so the EMS crew could come right in to the apartment upon arrival. The woman on the phone stayed with me until the EMS crew came through the door. 

These men and women are amazing. This crew went to work right away getting my medical history, starting an ECG, and generally putting my mind at ease. 

Cindy arrived home and right away one of the other team members began collecting my medical history, medications taken, and surgical procedures for the record they would transmit to the ER. 

Once they determined that I should be transported to the hospital things moved pretty swiftly. I climbed onto the gurney and they whisked me out the door into the ambulance and to the ER at the Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, UT. During transport they completed another ECG and inserted an IV needle into my right arm. In a moving ambulance - one stick and right into the vein. They also transmitted the information to the ER and called them to let them know they were bringing me to the hospital. They (the ER nurses and docs) were ready when we came through the door and took over once I had been taken into one of the exam rooms. 

By this time the discomfort in my chest started to subside but the sharp pain in both arms continued. 

A technician came and drew some blood for testing. They were looking for evidence of a protein (troponin) in my blood. Troponin in the blood indicates that there has been damage to heart muscle and is only found (if I understand correctly) in the blood when there has been a heart attack. The initial blood draw showed a low number of the protein in the blood so they knew there had been a heart attack but still did not have clarity as to the severity. About an hour later another blood draw was done and that came back with a much higher troponin level than the first. The decision was made to admit me to the hospital and my cardiologist and one of his partners would consult together and get with me and my family sometime later in the day.

We met at about 7:00 p.m. (I think) - time kind of blurred through the afternoon. He/they recommended a catheterization to inspect the arteries feeding the heart muscle. He (Dr. Weaver) was on call that night so he asked if I wanted to do it then or wait until the following afternoon. I opted for that night. 

He called his team in and I was taken to the cath. lab. at about 9:00 p.m..

The result is that they placed 4 stents in one of my natural heart arteries because the graft that had bypassed that artery had become blocked and it made more sense to open the original equipment if he could. It took about 2 hours to accomplish but it worked. The before and after photos are remarkable. There is an area of my heart muscle that has not seen regular and normal blood flow for at least 13 years (that is how long since the bypass). I feel better than I have for quite some time and have returned to normal daily activity.

Modern medicine is amazing. 

There are many changes that will be made in my lifestyle. I have already been losing weight and will work to continue that trend. We will be changing eating habits as we can - per direction from a dietician we met with before leaving the hospital. 

I have written this primarily for my family members but if anyone who reads this and adjusts their own life for the better I will be very pleased.

Thanks for checking in. More to come soon. See you then. 

"I come from a family where gravy is considered a beverage." Erma Bombeck

 

     We have a son-in-law who really does consider gravy to be a beverage. All that was left on his plate yesterday after the many helpings of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing was a big puddle of gravy. He is the one who brought the gravy having cooked a bird earlier in the week just so he could provide that liquid refreshment for the Thanksgiving meal. It was very good. I'm fairly certain that every drop that was not consumed during our feast was taken home for further consumption. It was really very good.

     A friend posted to Facebook yesterday (Thanksgiving Day in the USA) asking his friends to post things they are grateful for. He indicated that he would post what he is grateful for on Friday. I had already planned to make this entry today so didn't change my plan.

     John F. Kennedy is quoted as saying, "We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives."

     That would, of course, include my family, friends, co-workers, and many others with whom I have crossed paths over the years I have been on this earth. The sentence seems trite when I look back and read it, but it is so very true. We spend more time together with family than with almost any others. So many people cross paths with me and each has an influence for good or ill, even if I don't always recognize that impact.

William Shakespeare said, "O Lord that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfullness." 

I hope to avoid being to mawkish here but the topic lends itself to being so. 

     As this month unfolds and acquaintances post on Facebook or Instagram about all the things they are thankful for I think to myself "I wish I had said that" so, I hope you will accept that I am thankful for all the things you are plus a few more that are unique to my circumstance. I may not write about them here but it doesn't change the reality. 

With apologies to Bill Watterson;

Is there really anything needed more than a good home and a best friend?

We had a brief discussion yesterday about the way so many families are depicted on social media, and even in our current reality, with infighting and usurpations happening among family members. 

     I/we have not experienced anything like this. We seem to like one another and get along even when issues do arise (and they do). Cindy commented that there is a tendency for us to move past the negatives and get along. I agree. I hope that there is less distress among families than is depicted. Perhaps in this season of gratitude we can all learn to be more tolerant and grateful. 

     Robert Louis Stevenson stated, "Keep your eyes open to your mercies. The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life."

     I agree, though it might be that in the hustle and bustle of life we lose track of what is of more importance. I am very thankful for these days (holidays and long weekends) that afford us the opportunity to slow and be grateful. Life is too short to just be busy moving from one project to another without taking the time to see all the other good things and people in life.

     Well I've repeated myself a few times here so maybe I should call it good. Please take time to reflect on the things that matter in your life. 

     Emphasis on family and faith.

Thank for checking in. More to come soon. See you then.

 

Random thoughts from a random guy.

As I look back at this blog I am stunned that I have not posted for well over a year. There have been many days when I have started to write about something going on in the family but I have just not been able to put into words all the thoughts streaming through my little brain. I'm not sure that today will be any different but a serious attempt to organize and write is underway.

The world is dramatically different today that it was the last time I posted. Our family, thus far, has been spared illness related to the COVID 19 causing virus. Although Cindy has an aunt and a cousin who are being carefully monitored. Her aunt has the virus but has not exhibited any serious symptoms and her cousin has some symptoms and has been tested but has not heard if he has the virus (last we heard anyway). 

Cindy and I are fortunate that we are both able to work from home. She meets with students several times a day via Zoom and I do what I do on the phone and via Microsoft Teams meetings and even on occasion via RingCentral Meetings. It helps to maintain a regular schedule and remember which day of the week we are living in. We still have those moments when we are stir-crazy and really need to get out and do something (but we don't). Once in a while one of us will venture out to pickup food from a restaurant or make a run to the grocery store to grab something that was out of stock when we placed a click list order. Mostly we stay in - working, reading, video chatting with family, and staring at each other grateful for the companionship (at least I am).

This past Friday evening we met with 2 of our daughters at a local park to have a socially distant meal - just the 4 of us. It was a beautiful evening and there were others who had the same idea so we had to be selective with where we sat. It was good to sit with them (no grandchildren) eating a meal together and having conversation. We spoke (well the 3 - Cindy, Holly, Lisa did) about books that have been read, that are being read, and those next on the list to be read. We spoke about those just mentioned grandchildren and some of the fun things they are doing now. We also realize just how much we are missing in the development of the 2 youngest since they are at that age when life changes so very quickly. I listened, mostly, and chimed in when I had an inclination to do so. I realized that while we have a lot of technology that allows seeming quality interaction - face to face is still the better way. 

Earlier in the week we celebrated the birthday of a 5 year old grandson via one of the hangout platforms. We sang "Happy Birthday", he shared what a great and fun day he had with family and neighborhood friends. I am glad we could participate in this fashion and since we live in different States (United States) I asked Cindy why we haven't been doing this all the time for these celebrations. I think we will do this for every distant birthday celebration in coming years when we cannot be proximate (it often takes a crisis to identify such simple solutions).

One of the other positives I see in our current circumstance is that we have the opportunity to get to know our neighbors (from a distance, of course) a little better. Time spent speaking with them from the porch or in the hallway is more than a cursory "how are you? or just a nod of the head. No one seems to be in a hurry to go anywhere and it gives us time to greet sincerely and spend time getting to know each other better. We have a neighbor who I have greeted for several years and spoken to his dog (an old and gray Beagle) but for a long time did not even know his (the man) name, though I knew the dog well. He and I have gotten to know each other a bit better since life has slowed and now I consider him to be a good friend.

Life in quarantine (sort of) is actually pretty good. Oh, I miss personal interactions with gatherings of family and friends in person but, overall, it is pretty good.

Thanks for checking in. More to come soon. See you then. 

A very good time was had by all.

Milestones in life.

Mrs. Mahan and I traveled to Nashville, TN over Labor Day weekend. The trip had nothing to do with the holiday however. We went to visit our daughter Stefanie and her family at their home in the Nashville area. We enjoy visiting the city but don't take the opportunity as often as we should to make the trek. I am not a fan of the high humidity since I have spent all my life in the arid Western United States. We go where family reside.

Our son-in-law (Matthew) has been telling us for some time now that the Nashville area has become a favorite destination for bachelorette parties. I must say there was ample evidence of this reality. On the second leg of our flight there (Houston, TX to Nashville) we shared the airplane with several different brides to be and varying portions of their bridal parties. I sat next to one of these women and her maid of honor, there was another party in the row right behind me, and there were at least two others seated several rows in front of Mrs. Mahan.

We arrived in Nashville in time to have an early birthday celebration with our soon to be 6 year old Granddaughter. Our oldest (Jennifer) and her oldest and youngest daughters had arrived the night before so we were able to have a very enjoyable birthday party for Lucy - that allowed her to be the center of attention for a few hours before her older sister would be baptized the next day.

I think Lucy really had fun with everyone focused on her for the afternoon.

That night the Matt Gray Band was scheduled for a couple sets at the Wildhorse Saloon, so we decided to go listen during the earlier set and enjoy a quality dinner. The menu is American fare with a Southern flavor and the food is always good. The Wildhorse Saloon is a family friendly atmosphere during the afternoon and dinner hours. the grandchildren all had fun line dancing and horsing around while we waited for dinner to be brought to the table while listening to the band.

We left after the first set and while Mrs. Mahan and I were waiting outside we quickly noticed wave after wave of twenty something women each group dressed in matching clothing and grinning from ear to ear. I mean dozens of them. Each party bus/wagon/carriage seemed  to also be filled with celebrating young women. I must not have believed it when Matthew first told us about this phenomenon but seeing is believing.

Saturday was a day focused on Michaela. She would be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that afternoon. The morning was spent getting the room for the reception that followed the baptism set up and bringing all the food that had been prepared and placing it in the refrigerator and freezer in the kitchen. It was my privilege to perform the baptism and then to confirm Michaela a member of the Church. It was a wonderful service with about 50 friends and family in attendance.

We spent the evening just enjoying time together as family. The grandchildren all got to bed pretty close to their normal bedtime with the adults spending some quality time together talking and just being together. Jennifer did retire to bed a little earlier than the rest of us as she and the girls had to catch a flight home early the next morning. They were beginning to miss their family and were anxious to get home but also didn't want the weekend in Nashville to be over.

Sunday was a normal day for us - church and then more family time before we headed home to Utah. That trip began early Monday and was uneventful. It is always good to arrive home and this day was no exception. We (read as I) made the decision to fly early so we would have the afternoon to prepare for the coming work week and begin to settle back into our routine. We did.

I am amazed at how quickly these grandchildren are growing up.

I once had a conversation with a man I consider a friend, even though we haven't spoken in over a dozen years, who asked me about the closeness and evident love between our family members. "How did we do it?" he wondered. I'm not sure I understand it even now. My best guess is that we were a large family (8 total) living in a small house with 1 bathroom. We were together a lot.

Cindy (Mrs. Mahan) and I did our best to provide a safe haven for our family. A place of love, respect, and safety. One of our daughters recently wrote a short note to Cindy and me that included, "I loved sharing a room because it meant I never had to be alone when I was scared. I loved our house because it was a safe and happy place to be." ... "The home you and Mom made was a place where I was never embarrassed, and I can't say that about every other place in my life as a kid."

My purpose in sharing the above paragraph is to simply set up this; I see my grandchildren growing up in homes not unlike the one described above. Kudos to our children for continuing the tradition of safe, respectful, and loving places for their families to grow up.

Thanks for checking in. More to come soon. See you then. 

Random thoughts

"Success is not final, Failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." (Winston Churchill)

Cindy and I are both being challenged by our current career choices. Each day or week brings new opportunity for growing and learning. We are excited at the prospect of those opportunities and head to work each day with a smile (okay - I do, she may not always). We may not be smiling at the end of the day - that doesn't mean we are unhappy, it means we have expended all the energy we could to rise to those opportunities as they have come our way. Something we both learned from parents who always worked hard to provide for their respective families.

I worked for a man a few decades ago who understood that making mistakes is a part of the growth and learning process we all need to experience.

"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." (Henry Ford)

No, it wasn't Henry Ford it was a contractor I worked for as a teenager. He assured me after a minor accident occurred involving a cement mixer that he had learned from his own mistakes to account for minor incidents in every bid he ever sent to a customer. He smiled at me and a co-worker who had contributed to the problem and said simply, "We'll have it fixed by tomorrow and I won't worry about it as long as you both learned a lesson today." It was fixed and we never had an issue with that piece of equipment again while in his employ.

My thought process over the past few months has tended toward how to begin something new while not disrupting the pattern of life we have established. I've concluded recently that it may be beneficial to have some disruption in those patterns, after all it is those patterns that have brought us to the point at which we reside currently.

"Failure is so important. We speak about success all the time. It is the ability to resist failure or use failure that often leads to greater success. I've met people who don't want to try for fear of failing." (J.K. Rowling)

Thoughts like this from J.K. Rowling make me ponder on the things that have been set aside, in part, because of fear. I also wonder at times about how to begin? New beginnings can be hard if too much time is spent thinking about rather than doing. In doing we may find (usually do) traction that will take us in the right direction; even if that direction is different from our original idea.

For now new beginnings are at the top of my mind. If successful, terrific. If not, perhaps a lesson that will change my direction for the better.

This Memorial Day weekend we will be spending time with family in Grand Junction, Colorado. We have several grave sites of men who served in the military that we will visit and decorate. They did not die while in the service so really don't fit the real definition of this holiday - but we will visit and we will decorate anyway. It helps me remember the roots of our family and makes me think about the good memories associated with such honorable men as my father and hers.

We may also take in a baseball game at the Junior College World Series which begins this weekend and continues through the coming week. These games are just very enjoyable and often provide opportunity to see future Major League players like; Lorenzo Cain, Albert Pujols, Brock Holt, Bryce Harper and many others. Always fun games to watch with a great atmosphere in which to do so.

Enough for today.

Thanks for checking in. More to come soon. See you then.

"Onion rings in the car cushions do not improve with time" Erma Bombeck

My family owned a gas station when I was young. We sold gasoline, vehicle repairs and service, and tires as our main business. My Dad also decided to sell a variety of other items. Things like hunting and fishing licenses, jewelry, firearms, and assorted candies and snacks. With all of these options available for the traveling public and the local consumers, we were busy most of the time. For a young boy who had an interest in all things going on in the world this was a terrific place to spend the hours after school and much of each Saturday.

 

When there I was expected to help customers that pulled in to fill their gas tank by performing that task plus washing all the windows, checking the oil level, and any other services the customer asked for. Most of the time I did so happily and quickly. There were those odd days when I hoped that each car that pulled in would stop at the self service island. Those days, of course, did not always go as hoped and I ended up waiting on far more customers than I cared to. A funny thing usually happened by the end of those days. I left work feeling a lot better about life than I did when I arrived earlier in the day. Our small town was seemingly filled with people who knew how to smile and make a young fellow feel better about whatever troubles he had.

There are funny things that happen when you are dealing with the public. There are also some not so funny things. I'll share just a few from my memory here today.

One of my least favorite jobs was cleaning the floor to ceiling windows that fronted the showroom and included the entrance to the building. Those windows faced a busy street so they accumulated a lot of dust and grime and needed to be washed and squeegeed regularly. We always knew that something humorous would happen on the days when that glass was cleaned. Whenever a customer would pull in to gas up we would get the work done while keeping an eye on the customer as he/she looked for the restroom. Invariably they would head for the showroom, but with clean glass it was sometimes hard to tell which pane was the door - or even if there was a glass pane in the frame. Many times people would walk straight into one of those windows banging their head or (if they were lucky) kicking it with their shoes. We finally had to resort to hanging signs and banners in the windows so people would stop walking into them.

 

There were also not so funny things that happened. Another one of my jobs was to clean the restrooms several times a week. Usually not too difficult or disgusting. But occasionally.... .

We arrived at the station early one morning and after the first customers had departed and we had some down time Dad asked me to clean the facilities. I took care of the men's room and then headed over to the ladies facility. I opened the door and discovered that whomever had used the room last had missed the toilet almost completely. There was human excrement all over the toilet, the floor, and even on the wall next to the toilet. A new experience for this young man and not fun at all to clean up.

 

There was one day when the Missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints came in to speak with my Dad. They were always welcome both at the gas station and in our home. This time though these two missionaries said something that got my Dad riled up and he forcibly told them to leave. There was one feeble attempt to calm his anger, he again told them to leave and they did. I remember having them over for dinner a few nights later that week and apologies where made on both sides and everything returned to normal in that relationship. A lesson to me on many levels - managing  anger (still trying to master this one), remorse when in the wrong, and forgiveness always.

I have pleasant memories of sitting in the garage on many quiet winter afternoons observing Dad, Dan or Adolph working on someones vehicle. Tune-ups in those days were frequently needed (spark plugs, condenser, points, timing) and carburetors needed to be rebuilt after a thorough cleaning. A lot of lessons to be learned. The opportunity for a young man to spend time observing men whom he admired and looked up to was well worth the time.

As I occasionally reflect on those simple days and experiences I smile. What a great childhood my brother an I had. Children today live a different life than we did. Even at a very young age they face challenges and distractions that we could have never even conceived. My hope is that, as my grandchildren grow, their parents (and grandparents) will help them find opportunities similar to those we had. Not necessarily how to work on a car, but time spent learning together about this life.

Thanks for checking in. More to come soon. See you then.  

Movement. Balance. Growth.

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." (Albert Einstein)

I remember a Monday when I arrived at work following a major snow storm in the Denver, CO area. It was cold and I was loving life. Cold weather has always been a favorite of mine so I was feeling pretty good that morning. One of our customers came into the dealership mid-morning and informed us that the car we had let him take over the weekend had been totaled. We had seen that car on a flatbed tow truck just a few moments before he walked in but had not yet connected the dots. My good day very quickly deflated. Of course we were concerned about the driver and any others that may have been involved in the accident. he was fine and only one vehicle was involved in this accident. I don't remember all the details as it was quite awhile ago. I do know that there was a crash into a wall and then the car rolled several times down the highway. Modern vehicles are really amazing. So much damage to the exterior but only minor bruising and scrapes to the driver.

I had a conversation with my boss later the next day about the incident. There were many things we had done wrong with regard to a loaned car (paperwork) so the dealership and our insurance would be on the hook rather than the customer and his insurance company. We (my team and I) received a major chewing out later that day. I accepted full responsibility for the snafu with our paperwork and was fully prepared for whatever consequence followed. There were none, other than the yelling and cursing. My boss and I had a conversation a few days later where he did tell me that he was fully prepared to release me from employment with the company until he spoke with his boss (the owner) who said simply, "Did he (me) learn anything from this?" to which my boss replied, "yes", and then the owner replied, "Then we are done with the incident - if we and our employees are not learning from what happens here every day, then we have a problem and changes need to be made. We will pay the deductible, the insurance company will pay off the car, and we all move forward."

I have been grateful for the understanding of a seasoned employer and for the lesson learned every time I consider what might have been.

Movement. Balance. Growth.

Our son, Adam, was given a bicycle when he was 5 or 6 years old (I think.... possibly a little older) and he really wanted to learn how to ride that bike without training wheels. We didn't take them off until late in the summer because he needed to grow physically in order to ride safely. He did grow and the day finally came when we decided to give it a try without those training wheels. We worked for several days helping him to balance and try. I remember the day when he finally understood that he had to keep moving forward or he would fall. There was one thing lacking yet - he hadn't quite caught on to the trick to maintain balance. I finally realized that he had not been given the key to balancing on a bicycle and shared it with him quickly and quietly. "Adam, when you feel the bike starting to tip to the right turn the handlebars slightly to the right, when you feel the bike starting to tip to the left turn slightly to the left." He gave me a quizzical look but I could see him thinking about it and suddenly...the light bulb turned on and he understood. Forward momentum, turn toward imbalance, and the bike will right itself. It was fun to watch him ride for the rest of the afternoon with no training wheels and no tumbles.

I hope we all understand that we grow and learn the most when we are struggling or even failing. This is a lesson I have been learning repeatedly all my life. There is a quote attributed to Robert Kennedy that says, "Only those who dare to fail can ever achieve greatly." I believe this to be true.

Oprah Winfrey once said, "Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it."

Many of us, me included, let the distractions of life (family, entertainment, working for a living) get in the way of what we really want to do. Today is the time for me (you make your own choice) to take some risk. There are things I want to do. Now is the time to begin.

Thanks for checking in. More to come soon. See you then.