How I Felt the Day I Thought I Was Having a Heart Attack
I'm okay, and it's a story about living a rich life and what matters most
Original watercolor by the author
On a recent Monday morning, I went to the local emergency room because I thought I might be having a heart attack. I was not, and all checked out.
My post isn’t about sympathy. It’s about the business of life, and a short story to help anyone struggling with money, career, relationships, and finding inner peace.
It was just another Monday morning
I’m 64, super fit, but was experiencing chest pain and numbness in my right arm for several weeks. I kept trying to ignore it, telling myself, “I’ll be okay.”
But on a recent Monday at 7:50 am, while sitting in a daily fellowship meeting I attend, I thought to myself, “I better ask someone about this.”
I checked first with ChatGPT. It said, “Cliff, go to the emergency room.”
I checked with my wife, who works in the healthcare industry. She said, “Cliff, go to the emergency room.”
Being coachable, I drove to the local emergency room. It opened at 8 a.m., just as I arrived.
Here’s what happened at the E.R.
I was fortunate to arrive just as the Urgent Care center opened, and I was admitted to their Emergency Room immediately.
At age 64, on a Monday, experiencing chest pain and numbness in the right arm gets you into the game right away. It was an amazing experience considering my aversion to allopathic medicine.
I felt nothing but peace; serenity is the better word. At times, my magnificent magnifying mind thought about the worst: “What if today is my last day?”
All I could think about were the many things I’m grateful for: my faith in God, my beautiful wife, family, and home, my career path evolution, the healthcare staff, nurses, and others attending to me, and my writing and artwork.
Tears of joy
Life can be hard for all of us. As a younger man, I used to get frustrated a lot. I used to cry when I was sad.
But over the last two decades, I’ve done the most critical work of my life. I’m waking up to who I am by knowing who I’m not.
Serenity happened over the last 20 years, living sober and finding radical acceptance with people, places, and things that used to set me off.
Not too high, not too low.
Not too left, not too right.
Because the Middle Way is the way to be; it’s where I find serenity.
With emotional sobriety comes clarity. Clarity is what happens when we learn to be okay with not knowing. That happens with acceptance, surrender, and salvation.
Experiencing gratitude for all
I felt nothing but immense gratitude. When I cried in the ER, I shed tears of joy more than once.
Sheer joy and gratitude overwhelmed me while I let the amazing healthcare workers do their magic for over four hours.
Finding gratitude, especially when life isn’t going your way, requires a lot of practice.
A simple truth about life is that we can’t get what we want until we’re immensely thankful for everything we’ve got.
That means everything, including the toughest lessons you’re learning right now. For suffering becomes the best teacher to shed the infinite layers of our fragile and temporal ego.
Serenity is the ultimate high
If you’re looking for serenity, that’s what I get to share today. I used to chase the high of adrenaline, competing, winning, and the incessant lows of falling short of unrealistic expectations.
Not anymore. As a result, I get to coach my clients to find clarity. Whether they are a founder, leader, professional, or anyone feeling stuck in business and life, I get to guide them down their path.
Because I’m the oldest and baldest man in the room these days, and despite skin that resembles human jerky, I’m okay today.
I get to be of service to others, and that’s a beautiful thing.
I get to live another day, play, write, paint, and love it all.
Loving the school of life takes practice
Life is a privilege because it’s a school for us to climb the ladder of consciousness one day at a time.
Peace.
I’m an author, facilitator, and strategic guide. Ask me how the Clarity S.H.I.F.T. Method™ empowers struggling founders, leaders, and professionals to find clarity, purpose, meaning, and prosperity. Learn more at www.CliffordJones.