Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Music Meditation: Ancestral Home (R Carlos Nakai) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-RGBQicUns
Question: What is the number one thing you are grateful for today?
Answer: That’s an easy one! That I’m still around. In 2016, I was moving furniture around on a Friday in August to get our Life Design Catalyst Lab ready to start the semester. I was by myself, when I noticed that my ankle started swelling, bigger than a grapefruit, for no reason. I’m a pretty active guy, so it was due to a twisted or sprained ankle. And there was no pain, just this swelling. And I also noticed that my calf felt a little mushy. Something just wasn’t right, so I decided to take a visit to the doctor’s office around 2pm. Needless to say, she sent me straight to get an ultrasound on my leg – she called my doctor, had a chat, and instructed me to go to the emergency room IMMEDITATELY! Of course, I did stop home first to pick up a few things, but didn’t know why I was told to go to the emergency room right away. To make this short, they found a HUGE blood clot in my right thigh, that had cut off the circulation in my lower leg, where to swelling was due to blood pooling in my ankle. To make matters worse, they found that a piece had broken off and went into my lung, causing a pulmonary embolism. I felt fine, but had to stay in the hospital for three days (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) to get massive amounts of blood thinner to reduce the clots in my leg and my lung. Actually, the clot in my leg was so big that they couldn’t operate to take it out because it’s so, so big. I had a chance to talk with the doctor and nurse the next day; both shared that if I continued moving that furniture for another hour, I would have been dead on the floor from a massive stroke. Definitely opened my eyes, that’s for sure. And to think – someone who works out like crazy getting a massive blood clot. They couldn’t figure out why someone like me got a clot, especially with no personal history or family history; chalk it up as just one of those weird things. I’m on blood thinner medicine for the rest of my life because a year later, I was taken off the medicine and within months, the clots started building up again. Ever since then, for the most part, I treat every day as a gift. And I thank God for giving me the opportunity to continue to share my gifts with the world.
Wow, that was a REALLY long answer to the question, but it’s something that I just can’t get out of my mind, EVER! There are always good days and bad days, but in the end, it’s always about appreciation.
Other Stuff
So, I’m clearing out my Inbox, reading the articles that resonate with my soul. Here’s one that’s probably as close to a “must-read” as I can recommend. If you have a few minutes, check it out here:
- The Purpose Of Life Is Not Happiness: It’s Usefulness (Darius Foroux) – https://dariusforoux.com/happiness-usefulness/
Regardless of whether you agree with Darius or not, it’s at least an interesting perspective. Since the work that I do is centered around profoundly serving something bigger than yourself, the article is definitely aligned with Life Design Catalyst work.
Listen to the meditation for today and reflect on your usefulness…how’s it working for you today?
The Dream Dean 
I have to tell you, I saw the synopsis version of this post and thought to myself – this should be an interesting answer. WOW. I had no idea this happened in your life and I am so glad you’re okay! Thank you for sharing this. I understand that this must have been difficult & may still be.