THE BALANCE SHEET OF LIFE

I found this on someone's blog somewhere. Don't really remember where but I liked it....

Our Birth is our Opening Balance !

Our Death is our Closing Balance!

Our Prejudiced Views are our Liabilities

Our Creative Ideas are our Assets

Heart is our Current Asset

Soul is our Fixed Asset

Brain is our Fixed Deposit

Thinking is our Current Account

Achievements are our Capital

Character & Morals, our Stock-in-Trade

Friends are our General Reserves

Values & Behavior are our Goodwill

Patience is our Interest Earned

Love is our Dividend

Children are our Bonus Issues

Education is Brands / Patents

Knowledge is our Investment

Experience is our Premium Account

The Aim is to Tally the Balance Sheet Accurately.

The Goal is to get the Best Presented Accounts Award.

Some very Good and Very bad things



The most destructive habit...............................Worry

The greatest Joy...............................................Giving

The greatest loss..........................Loss of self-respect

The most satisfying work....................Helping others

The ugliest personality trait.....................Selfishness

The most endangered species........Dedicated leaders

Our greatest natural resource...................Our youth

The greatest "shot in the arm".........Encouragement

The greatest problem to overcome.....................Fear

The most effective sleeping pill...........Peace of mind

The most crippling failure disease................Excuses

The most powerful force in life..........................Love

The most dangerous pariah.......................A gossiper

The world's most incredible computer........The brain

The worst thing to be without........................... Hope

The deadliest weapon...............................The tongue

The two most power-filled words....................."I Can"

The greatest asset................................................Faith

The most worthless emotion..........................Self-pity

The most beautiful attire.................................SMILE!

The most prized possession..................................grity

The most powerful channel of communication..Prayer

The most contagious spirit........................Enthusiasm

The most important thing in life...........................GOD

I'M STILL HOPEFUL.....

UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE NO GOOD NEWS TO BRING. TODAY I DECIDED TO GET OUT AND DO SOMETHING TO GET MY MIND OFF OF THINGS SO, I WENT SHOPPING. DURING MY LITTLE SHOPPING SPREE, I GOT A PHONE CALL AROUND NOON FROM MY FRIEND AND HE TOLD ME THAT HE'D BEEN RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT! WHEN I ASKED HIM WHY HE SAID THAT THEY WERE GOING TO TREAT HIM ON AN OUTPATIENT BASIS. HE SAID HE'D EXPLAIN MORE LATER AND ASKED ME IF I COULD PICK HIM UP FROM THE HOSPITAL AND GIVE HIM A RIDE TO HIS HOUSE. OF COURSE I WAS MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO THAT FOR HIM.

FIRST THING WHEN I PICKED HIM UP IN FRONT OF THE SECTION CALLED: HEART HOSPITAL, HE GOT IN MY TRUCK AND SAID THAT HE WAS SO HUNGRY. HE HAD A TASTE FOR, ( OF ALL THINGS ) TACO BELL. HE WANTED A NACHOS BEL GRANDE. I WAS SO HAPPY TO SEE HIM THAT I COULDN'T DENY HIM HIS CRAVING. ( HOSPITAL FOOD SUCKS ) SO AS WE DROVE TO THE TACO BELL NEAR HIS HOUSE, HE EXPLAINED WHAT EXACTLY WAS GOING ON WITH HIM.

HE'S HAD A BARRAGE OF TESTS INCLUDING YESTERDAYS' HEART CATHETERIZATION. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT ALL OF THE TESTS HAVE BEEN NORMAL. THERE IS NO BLOCKAGE IN HIS ARTERIES. BUT THE BAD NEWS IS THAT IT SEEMS HIS HEART IS FAILING. THERE'S NOTHING MORE THEY CAN DO AT THIS POINT BUT HAVE HIM MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A PULMONARY SPECIALIST. ALL THIS TIME HE THOUGHT THAT HIS HEART WAS REGENERATING BUT IT REALLY WASN'T AT ALL. HIS BLOOD PRESSURE HAS BEEN CONSIDERABLY LOW AND NOW WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS THAT HE MAY BE IN NEED OF A HEART TRANSPLANT. EVERYTHING IS UP IN THE AIR RIGHT NOW. NO ONE IS REALLY SURE ABOUT ANYTHING. IT REALLY UPSETS ME THAT THE DOCTORS CAN'T SEEM TO FIND AN ANSWER FOR HIM.
PERHAPS I'M JUST UPSET AND IMPATIENT BUT I JUST THOUGHT THAT WITH ALL OF THIS MODERN TECHNOLOGY THAT THEY'D HAVE A BETTER HANDLE OF THINGS.

SO, THERE WE SAT, HE AND I IN THE TACO BELL PARKING LOT AFTER EATING OUR NACHOS BEL GRANDES. HE LOOKED OVER AT ME AND GAVE ME THE BIGGEST HUG AND WHISPERED INTO MY EAR THAT HE WAS AFRAID. HE BEGAN WEEPING. IT WAS SO HARD FOR ME NOT TO CRY BUT I KNEW I HAD TO BE STRONG FOR HIM. I WAS AFRAID FOR HIM AT THAT POINT TOO. I STILL AM. ALL I COULD DO WAS HOLD HIM AND HUG HIM AND TELL HIM HOW MUCH I LOVED HIM AND THAT HE'S GONNA BE OKAY. I WISH THERE WAS SOMETHING MORE I COULD DO FOR HIM. THIS SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING. NOT TO HIM....

WHEN I DROPPED HIM OFF TO HIS HOUSE, AND STARTED BACK TO MY HOUSE, I FELT LIKE A DRONE. I WAS EMOTIONLESS. DENIAL. TRANSPARENT. I WAS LIKE A ZOMBIE OR A GHOST-LIKE CREATURE.
AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES, IT HIT ME LIKE A DOWN POUR OF RAIN. I BURST INTO TEARS. I TOTALLY LOST IT. I WAS HYSTERICAL. I FELT SO HELPLESS, HOPELESS AND OUT OF CONTROL. I WAS FEARFUL AND FILLED WITH A GREAT SADNESS. I COULD BARELY SEE TO DRIVE. IT WAS AWFUL. AND NOW, I'M JUST WEEPY. CAN'T GET HIM OUT OF MY MIND. I'M REALLY HAVING A HARD TIME DEALING WITH THIS. I TOLD HIM TO LET ME KNOW WHEN HIS APPOINTMENT WILL BE WITH THAT SPECIALIST 'CAUSE I'D LIKE TO GO WITH HIM. I'M JUST SO SAD. I JUST WANT HIM TO BE WELL AGAIN.....*SIGH*

*** UPDATE ***

HI ALL.

JUST THOUGHT I'D GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THE SITUATION AT HAND CONCERNING MY FRIEND.
HE CALLED ME JUST ONE HOUR AGO AT 9PM. CST. AND INFORMED ME THAT HE IS NOW IN THE HOSPITAL. SOMETHING I'D THOUGHT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN HE FIRST TOLD ME ABOUT THIS. APPARENTLY, THE SHORTNESS OF BREATH THAT HE IS EXPERIENCING HAS GOTTEN WORSE!
IT WAS A CHORE FOR HIM TO JUST WALK ACROSS HIS LIVING ROOM FLOOR. SO, THIS AFTERNOON, HE WAS ADMITTED INTO THE HOSPITAL. I AM SO WORRIED ABOUT HIM. IT WAS SO VERY HARD FOR ME NOT TO BREAK INTO TEARS OVER THE PHONE AS HE WAS STRUGGLING TO SPEAK TO ME. I WISH THERE WERE SOMETHING I COULD DO TO HELP HIM. I FEEL SO HELPLESS!

I SURE HOPE THEY CAN FIND OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM SOON. I ALSO HOPE THAT HE IS TELLING ME EVERYTHING AND NOT HOLDING ANYTHING BACK. I NOW KNOW THAT HE IS AFRAID. HE'S MAKING LOTS OF JOKES AND PLAYING IT DOWN AS IF IT'S NOTHING BUT I CAN TELL THAT IT'S JUST A FRONT. HE'S HAD SOME TESTS RUN ON HIM TODAY AND WILL CONTINUE TOMORROW. HOPEFULLY THERE WILL BE SOME GOOD NEWS TOMORROW. I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED. UNTIL THEN, PLEASE KEEP HIM IN YOUR THOUGHTS. THANKS......

PERFECT HEALTH

IS THERE REALLY SUCH A THING AS BEING IN " PERFECT HEALTH? "
I DON'T THINK THERE IS , REALLY....

SOMETIMES IT SEEMS THAT YOU CAN BE LIVING YOUR LIFE, DOING ALL " THE RIGHT THINGS ", - OR SO YOU THINK YOU ARE, AND STILL WIND UP IN THE HOSPITAL OR WITH SOME SORT OF MAJOR ILLNESS. IT'S LIKE IT'S ALL CHANCE. YOU JUST NEVER KNOW HOW YOUR BODY IS GOING TO RESPOND DURING YOUR LIFETIME.

A VERY DEAR FRIEND OF MINE IS BEGINNING TO FIND THIS OUT. HE'S 42 YEARS OLD, TALL AND SLENDER. NEVER SMOKED A DAY IN HIS LIFE. ALWAYS ENERGETIC AND STRONG AS A HORSE. HE TAKES VITAMINS AND DRINKS PLENTY OF FLUIDS EACH DAY. ALTHOUGH HE'S NOT AN OVER-EATER, HIS EATING HABITS ARE NOT THE GREATEST. FAST FOOD IS A MAIN STAPLE IN HIS LIFE ALONG WITH HIS FAVORITE DRINK, MOUNTAIN DEW.
HE EATS ON THE GO A LOT BECAUSE OF HIS WORK SCHEDULE. I CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT THIS LIFESTYLE HAS BEGUN TO TAKE A TOLL ON HIM. A NORMAL WORK DAY FOR HIM CAN BE ANYWHERE FROM 4 HOURS TO 16 HOURS EACH DAY.

LAST YEAR, IN MID OCTOBER, HE BEGAN HAVING A TIGHTNESS IN HIS CHEST. HE IMMEDIATELY WENT TO THE DOCTOR FOR A CHECKUP WHICH WAS THE SMARTEST THING HE COULD'VE EVER DONE. HE FOUND OUT THAT HIS HEART HAD AN IRREGULAR BEAT AND IN ORDER TO KEEP HIS HEART BEATING A NORMAL PACE, HE HAD TO HAVE SURGERY AND THIS LITTLE DEVICE, ( ICD ) WAS PLACED JUST UNDER THE SKIN IN HIS CHEST AREA AND CONNECTED TO HIS HEART MUSCLES.
SO NOW, ANYTIME HIS HEART IS BEATING OUT OF RHYTHM, THIS DEVICE SHOCKS IT AND KEEPS IT BEATING PROPERLY. HIS HEART IS CONSTANTLY MONITORED BY THIS DEVICE. IT WAS VERY GOOD THAT HE'D GONE TO THE DOCTOR WHEN HE DID BECAUSE HE WAS TOLD THAT HE COULD'VE HAD CARDIAC ARREST AT ANYTIME.

TO KNOW THIS MAN, YOU WOULD NEVER THINK THAT HE WOULD HAVE A HEART CONDITION, EVER. IT JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU THAT YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN WITH YOUR BODY. JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, HE BEGAN FEELING SOME CHEST PAIN BUT DISREGARDED IT THINKING THAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN DUE TO SOME BACK PROBLEMS HE WAS HAVING. A FEW DAYS PASSED AND HE BEGAN FEELING WEAK. HE HAD NO ENERGY AND HIS BREATHING WAS VERY LABORED. HE HAS NOW FOUND OUT THAT HE HAS SOME FLUID ON HIS LUNGS. THE DOCTORS SAY THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT TYPICALLY HAPPENS TO PEOPLE WITH HIS CONDITION. HE HAD BLOOD WORK WHICH CAME BACK NORMAL AND A CHEST X-RAY WHICH HE WILL FIND OUT ABOUT ON HIS NEXT VISIT ON MONDAY. HE WAS PRESCRIBED A DIURETIC SO WE SHALL SEE...

I'M VERY WORRIED ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE'S NOT HIMSELF AT ALL. HE STILL IS VERY LETHARGIC AND SEEMS TO BE EXPERIENCING ACID REFLUX. I'M HOPING THAT HE MENTIONS THIS TO HIS DOCTOR ON MONDAY BECAUSE SOMETIMES ACID REFLUX IS NOT THAT AT ALL BUT SOMETHING MORE SERIOUS.
I HATE TO SEE PEOPLE THAT I CARE ABOUT BECOME ILL. ESPECIALLY A PERSON LIKE HIM. HE'S A VERY GOOD MAN. A HARD WORKING MAN. VERY KIND, ALWAYS WILLING TO HELP ANYONE. A VERY HONEST, CARING, AND GENUINE HUMAN BEING. I FEEL HONORED TO HAVE HIM IN MY LIFE.
THIS IS WHERE MY MIND HAS BEEN. THIS IS WHERE IT STAYS. I WISH HIM WELL EACH AND EVERY DAY. PLEASE JOIN ME IN SAYING A PRAYER OR A POSITIVE THOUGHT FOR MY DEAR FRIEND. IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.....