mortality's never made much sense to me. i mean, why have i got a time-clock beating in me instead of a heart? however, i did read about what to do immediately upon feeling an attack: cough like hell. evidently this can restore the heart's rhythm. i've got approximately twenty seconds.
as for stroke, i got up at 2 a.m. to take a leak and suddenly keeled sideways. i recovered before hitting the floor, grabbing onto a shelf of books - ah, so those tomes good for something! i felt so weird, i thought, did i have a stroke? i performed a couple of simple tests. did my tongue come out pointing to the left? no. could i speak a coherent sentence? as sleep drugged as i was, i could say now is the time for all good men. i could smile without sagging lopsided, and my arms raised over my head equally. okay, no brain damage likely.
when i woke in the sunlight, i considered the fact the brain cells can't feel. no wonder so many cultures felt we think with our hearts. i wonder why the inner noggin so protected? no answer came to mind. of course, other facts i learned this week made me shout, eureka, so that's why we die!!
consider it: i've 10 trillion cells and 98% of them replicate every year. damn, must be easy to interfere with that process: smoking, drinking, car accidents, falls off a ladder. little kids recover more quickly cause their cells a booming business, working overtime. at 95 i suspect the rate much slower. it doesn't take a brain-surgeon to tell me i'd better drink more water, take a nap, and run around the block.
also, i need to listen to my heart, not just in the physical sense. follow a path with a heart, said casteneda's don juan. in other words, the flow of my blood must depend on the flow of my emotions, and vice-versa. when the veins get damned up, not only can't i think straight, i can't stand up.
