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Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. – William Wordsworth

A few months ago I ordered flowers to send internationally from 1-800-Flowers.com. Now I receive weekly emails titled “Jim & Chris at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM”. Jim McCann is the founder and Chris McCann the CEO. Each week they send an inspirational email letter. Their email before the Christmas season was about the value in sending holiday cards for connection. They wrote don’t forget to personalize your message even if it’s a few words or a single sentence. Holiday cards are a traditional way to use your power to connect and strengthen your relationships. And they’re a great way to stay connected for the rest of the year. As I think about Valentine’s Day fast approaching, and the flurry of candy, flowers, and cards that will be delivered, I am reminded of another routine letter that would arrive in my in-box. Inside my mailbox. Periodically my maternal gandmother would send a letter. The letters didn’t arrive coinciding with holidays. They were written and mailed simply because my grandma was thinking of me and wished to share about things that her and my grandpa had been doing. Tending to their garden. Playing Tri-Ominoes or Uno with friends after a shared meal together. A neighbor in need my “handy man” grandpa had helped.

Stories of everyday living captured on stationary and then mailed. Stories that contain how my grandma saw and heard the world around her and of what she most enjoyed. A paper conversation written from her full presence with what she wished to speak; I, in turn, fully present to hear as I read.

I anticipate my grandma didn’t write letters with intention I would still have these conversations thirty plus years later. Because I’ve kept them, I have paragraphs of my grandma’s life story written by her. With these letters I can transport myself back to her home, to the taste of her home made cooking, to the feel of her hug and love for me. I can turn to them when I ponder what it was like for her not as grandma but as Gladys, to now “re-listen” as an adult, gleaning wisdom from her stories. Now I hold on to my mom’s emails as she sends them. A modern version of letters that hold pieces of my mom’s life story. How my mom sees and hears the world around her and what she enjoys. I save some of her texts, too. One day I know I will value being transported back to the taste of my mom’s leftover meal she had offered to deliver or to reflect on her love for the August clouds that was a learned legacy from my grandpa.

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So, as you prepare to send that Valentine’s Day card to someone dear in your life, perhaps consider also including a short letter. It might be a way to not only stay connected for the year, but for life.

Christine Hassing Teaching, Coaching, Authoring,

Inspiring Reframed Stories of Life

Literature on heart health is so prolific that it’s difficult to write a concise article relating to wellness for the heart. Dedicating a month to heart health awareness is a big signal to how important it is to take care of our hearts. Plus February seems like the ideal time to focus on the heart. We all have St. Valentine to thank for that.

So where do we begin? Knowing that an American has a heart attack every 40 seconds, let’s start with keeping the heart healthy. Since we have to eat every day, following a healthy diet is a first important step to preventing coronary heart disease and heart attacks. In general a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins is an effective way to maintain a healthy heart. Also, avoid processed foods and those that are high in fat and sugar. The Internet is a wonderful resource for meal planning and recipes. Regular exercise is important for maintaining a healthy heart. It helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol while maintaining a healthy weight. It doesn’t need to be strenuous either. Walking for 30 minutes a day, five times a week can make a noticeable difference.

Having friendships and being a friend have been shown to be important factors in maintaining good heart health. In fact, friendships are important for our overall health.

During the height of the Covid 19 pandemic, social isolation was a factor that contributed to high mortality rates.

While this doesn’t get a lot of attention, recent studies have shown that daily meditation can reduce stress and lower blood pressure. If you’re thinking that sitting cross-legged and reciting a mantra is the only form of meditation, there are several alternatives. There’s guided meditation wherein a recorded voice helps to guide your thoughts over a time span of 10-15 minutes. There’s mantra meditation, which involves repeating a word or phrase. There’s also mindfulness meditation that focuses on breathing in and out.

For a more physical form of meditation, yoga, which can be done stand- ing, laying down, or sitting in a chair. Yoga is also excellent for maintaining muscle flexibility. Tai chi is a form of meditation because the movements require concentration. So too, it is excellent balance training since the body movements involve transfers of body weight from one side to another.

Other preventative measures include: Stop smoking and minimize your exposure to second hand smoke. Limit alcohol consumption. Maintain your regimen of medications relating to heart health. Chances are that none of this is news to you. Yet, heart attacks continue at a rate of one every 40 seconds. Let me suggest something to each of you. Let’s start by wearing red at least once a week this month. This might just be the visible symbol that we are taking our own heart health seriously. If someone notices you’ve been wearing a lot of red this month, you’ll have an opportunity to tell him or her why. That may be the turning point in their life.

Why not try a new heart-healthy recipe every week for the month of February. Perhaps ask family and friends for their favorite hearthealthy recipes.

A lot of our leisure time involves watching television. You can make television watching more active by standing or stretching during commercials.

For those of you who do Facebook posts, write about your own progress in your heart health program and maybe offer challenges to meet or exceed your progress. This might even be an online support group to encourage each other in your goals to manage your weight, eat healthier, or work out.

In whatever you choose to do, I wish you success and don’t forget to be kind. Kindness is a characteristic of those who take their hearts seriously. Remember to MAKE it a good day. Till next time,