Inspired Living

There are certain events in life, focal points if you will, that cause one to think about the things they've done prior to that event, to see just what it is we've done with our lives, bringing about eventual and timely inspired living. This past Friday, I went under the knife for the first time in my life.

It was a routine surgery, but nonetheless, it was invasive as a knife cut into my body around 10:00am. I wasn't awake, thankfully. And, that hour of my life seems to have become a vapor. No memory or recollection. No dream or deep, ponderous thoughts. One moment you are in the operating room; the next, you are in the recovery room. What happened in between these two places is a mystery. For those who have had surgery, you can definitely understand.

Prior to my surgery, I had to undergo a full physical exam. My surgery was scheduled for a Friday, so my exam was on the Monday prior. On Wednesday, I received a rather alarmed call from my doctor. He was cancelling my surgery, claiming my blood work came back "severely anemic". Even though I had explained my hereditary anemic condition - indigenous of those with Mediterranean backgrounds. My father has a condition, which I have as well. If you looked at my blood work up and didn't know I had this condition, it would appear I was bleeding internally. Thus the panicked call from my doctor. Even though I was confident the low blood count and irregular numbers was attributed to my anemic condition, the doctor was more confident it could be something else. So, on the day I was scheduled to make an appearance in the operating room, I instead paid visit to a specialist and had to release my mental preparation for surgery.

I had 2 days between the call from my surgeon and the visit to the hematologist. Within two days, my wife and I were a hodgepodge of concern and confusion. The former for the obvious reasons - what could have gone wrong? And, the latter from the fact that I have never felt more healthy. I have purposed myself to eat better, exercise more and despite the physical reality of predisposed to lethargy, my mind has determined not to give in to being tired all of the time. I yawned and slept my way through my twenties, but my thirties have been spent more energized, more stimulated. My anemia hasn't dissipated or "gone away". Instead, the worries have been replaced by a simple love of life; one that I hadn't experienced in the decade where I thought I knew anything - that know-it-all wasteland of our twenties where anxiety was the only way of life.

One never knows the predispositions of other people, especially doctors. So, I talk awhile with this new doctor. He looks at me directly. "This is pretty straightforward". My heart sank a bit. He continued..."you're in perfect health". I asked him to say it again. To make a long story short, the bloodwork showed that I did in fact have an anemic condition, one I've had since birth, though despite it, I was in overall good health.

I was feeling, physically, amazing. There was nothing within me that gave a hint to illness, despite the alarming report I was preparing myself to confront that day, with that doctor. I realized even though I'm getting older and things "break down", I was very inspired for some reason. And, the inspiration was forming in me something that can only be described as energy. I think I have reached the stage of my life that has me trying to figure things out less and open myself up more to the idea of inspired living.

I realized, walking out of this doctors appointment that gave the wonderful report of great news, that my life was truly energized by the ability to be inspired and engaged by each day, no matter how mundane or exciting or everything in between. I understood how little I actually have and that has inspired me to realize how much I really do. Sometimes, this is just enough of what we need to be spirited enough to move past our challenges and shortcomings. The surgery, as well as the days prior to it, provided me with a new opportunity to appreciate, in a different way, how inspired living is really the only way to live.