They’re working me to life!

When I arrive, the surgery waiting room already has a sprinkling of families and friends anxiously waiting to visit their loved ones who have been escorted by nurses to the Pre-Op room beginning at 6 am.  By 7 am, I am busy escorting family members through double doors that seem to magically open with a wave of my badge and through another set of doors that open with the wave of my hand as we arrive in a very busy Pre-Op room filled with scurrying, smiling nurses getting patients ready for surgery.  Upon arrival at our destination, the visitor and patient quickly recognize each other, smile and thank me.  Positive, joyful energy abounds, and I am energized!

I continue to escort families and friends to their loved ones in Pre-Op, PACU I (Recovery Room) and PACU II (Post-op) throughout the day.  One morning I was escorting a woman to PACU I and on the way she said with a smile, “Wow, they’re working you to death!”

I didn’t skip a beat as we walked and I said with a smile, “No, they’re working me to life,” and I quickly told her that I loved this “work” that keeps my mind alert, my body exercised, and my spirit soaring!  On a typical day, my Apple Watch Activity App* logs in over 10,597 steps (4.74 miles) and I think this is a great way to keep my 71 year old body and brain in shape!

Early on, I discovered my “work” is actually a gift to myself!  See and hear George Halvorson, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente from 2002 to 2013, list the many health benefits of walking in the YouTube video, “The Gift of Walking,”* including reducing the risk of diabetes, strokes, heart disease, and hypertension.  Additionally, George points out that walking increases the body’s ability to resist cancer, increases brain health, has a positive impact on depression, and can help combat breast and prostate cancer.

George recommends 30 minutes of walking, 5 days a week, which can be dispersed to fit into your daily routine.  Others, such as Anthony Carboni, recommend 10,000 steps per day, as seen in his video, “Why You Need To Walk 10,000 Steps A Day.”

Larry and I take our corgi Tasha on walks each week, often in San Diego’s beautiful Balboa Park,* where we often promote our current concerns.

Tasha also loves to attend the monthly San Diego Corgi Meetup events!

In more ways than one, we are marching for our lives and health!

And of course, each day Tasha explores our backyard where the Rat tail cactus is blooming for the first time!

And our Japanese stone lantern supports a vessel symbolically holding the magical elixir of life, which in our case reminds us of the value and benefits of walking… Joy!

Tasha the Corgi says thanks for viewing and hopes everyone keeps walking & smiling!

Additional resources:

Mindful Walking – with Thich Nhat Hanh in Barcelona, 2014*

Tasha Tudor’s Garden* (Tasha Tudor wrote and illustrated Corgiville Fair)

VlogAfterCollege – Ryen and his corgi Gatsby

*This is a link to a YouTube video.