It Took The Wind Out Of My Sails

Part 1 – The Facts

by Rick Stecker

(This post first appeared on Substack as “It Took The Wind Out Of My Sails – Part 1” – Subscribe here)

That Tuesday morning started early. First, I met with my long-standing business network group. Next followed a lively one-on-one with a fellow member. All seemed good, yet I felt something wasn’t right — with me, physically.

What happened next took the wind out of my sails. I decided to get checked out at a local walk-in clinic. Test results prompted the PA to send me to the hospital emergency room. In the ER, more scans found significant arterial blockages. I was told I would have to undergo a heart catheterization.

What? I hadn’t felt that bad. Suddenly, I was at the mercy of a rising tide of angst, anguish and an inevitable outcome that I had neither anticipated nor desired. Wait a minute, I implored, “What if I don’t want to do that?”

Moments later I was hearing about findings that far exceeded normal limits, and facts on my percentage of plaque buildup, plus numbers that raised my chances of experiencing a serious event sooner rather than later. The doctors exhorted me to see the wisdom of the solution they offered.

In those brief minutes, a new tide had begun rising within me. The scan results presented a dark picture. They said I was at high risk. Yet I didn’t want to subject myself to living in that Risk Zone. I wanted to reside in a Success Zone. So, in that moment I had said No! to the procedure. I was not mentally ready.

The rising tide that rose in me, the resolve that I was able to display, shifted the moment. A new grace filled me and rippled into the room. I had found myself doing something I had never done before. I found the freedom to refuse.

What took place after that carried me through the rest of that critical moment. Lessons arose that became enlightening.

In Part 2 – The Faith, I’ll explain.