Coping with the death of a loved one

I am not sure what it is lately but I have had people all around me dying.  It is a very odd feeling.  I haven't lost a parent or anyone really close to me thanks goodness.  But I have had several friends lose someone close to them and had two extended family deaths on both my side and my wife's side of the family.  I almost feel like I am the center of a bulls eye and the darts keep getting a little closer.  All this death has caused me to reflect on how people deal and or cope with the death of loved ones.

I know coping is very different for everyone so I am going to tell you how I do it, and how I hope I will be able to cope when it comes time for me to lose someone close to me such as a parent.  I believe that we are children of God, I know this actually.  Because we are children of God I believe that the whole point to this life is for us to see what we are made of, in other words how do we deal with hardship and grief and pain and morality.  I also believe that God loves us far more than we could ever possible comprehend in this life, and that he knows each of us very well, better than we know ourselves.  That being said here is how I look at it when I am faced with a death.  I look at it like they have finished the marathon, they have crossed the finish line and the reward is to live in peace and comfort and never ending happiness.  I really think that with this perspective it is much easier to cope with the loss of a loved one.  Even with children, they came to earth they lived as long as they needed to and they are done.  But most important of all I know we can all be reunited when we die.  I know we will see them again and that we will never have to be separated again.

I know that I packed a lot of different thoughts into a small paragraph, if you should have any questions on what I believe please leave me a comment and I will be happy to either explain more or point you towards the information.

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The best places to eat

I am not a culinary expert by any means.  That being said, I do think that I know good food when I taste it.
-I went to a Ruth's Chris Steak House with my wife on two different occasions.  The first time we loved it.  The staff was very attentive and it was an incredible meal.  The steak was to die for.  The second time around not so much.  My steak was still great but my wife's was not so great.  Plus the second time we went the staff all but ignored us it was such a stark contrast from our first experience.  But my steak was still amazing. 

-The Carnegie Deli is one stop I have to make if I am in Las Vegas.  I absolutely love the Reuben sandwich there.  Always a huge hit with me!!
-In Arizona down in Tuscon at a restaurant called El Guero Canelo resides the best hot dog on the planet.  It is called the Sonoran dog.  If you don't like hot dogs you will like this one, if you do like them this will become the standard you measure all other dogs by.  If you are even close to Tuscon you have to go.
- Jackson Hole Wyoming.  Billy's Burgers.  Just get one, you can thank me later.

These are just a few of my favorites, if you are close to any of them give them a try.

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Heart attack signs and symptoms in women

A very good friend of mine suffered a heart attack just the other day.  She is a young female, and it got me thinking about recent literature I have seen indicating that women can have some very different symptoms from what men typically experience when it comes to a heart attack.  There are many stories out there about how women can suffer a heart attack and get a misdiagnosis.  I looked on WebMD and found a story about a lady from New Jersey who was experiencing "a feeling of indigestion and extreme fatigue. Later, she had nausea, vomiting and fainting."  But she never experienced the typical symptoms of chest pain or pressure.  In fact one study found that nearly half of all women who have a heart attack never experience chest pain.

So I thought I would try to find and list all of the symptoms of a heart attack.  Because according to one study the average heart attack sufferer arrives at the hospital almost five hours after the symptoms start.  Which can significantly increase their chances of dying.  It is extremely important to become familiar with the warning signs of the number one killer of women in the United States.


The average heart attack sufferer gets to the hospital almost five hours after the onset of symptoms. This delay significantly increases their chances of dying. That's why it's so important to know the warning signs of a heart attack and what to do if you experience them. Being educated could save your life.




Common Warning Signs include but are not limited to:

Knowing these common warning signs of a heart attack could help save your life:

-Chest pressure, tightness, and heaviness

-Pain in shoulders, neck, jaw, or arms

-Lightheadedness

-Fainting

-Paleness


-Sweating

-Nausea

-Shortness of breath with or without chest pain


Studies on what doctors call cardiac events in women reveal that many women may experience early signs or symptoms of heart trouble in the days, weeks, or even months leading up to a heart attack. Unfortunately, many of these signs may be dismissed as nothing out of the ordinary, by both women and their doctors. The most common early warning signs include:


Unusual fatigue:  In one study, more than 70% of the women surveyed experienced marked fatigue in the days or weeks prior to their heart attacks.

Sleep disturbances:  A recent study revealed that almost half of the women who had recently suffered a heart attack also experienced sleep disturbances in the days or weeks leading up to their attacks.

Indigestion.

Anxiety.

Back pain.

Weakness.

Lets face it, all of us experience some these symptoms from time to time, have a bad week and anxiety sets in or fatigue or even indigestion.  So how do you know if the symptoms you are experiencing are serious?  Pay attention to your body.  Note the common aches and pains you have, take notice of things in your life and connect them with any anxiety your feel or sleep loss you experience. Basically just be in tune with your body.  Not f you experience changes in your energy level, comfort, or sleep habits, that are out of the ordinary and make you worry, you should discuss your concerns with your health care provider, especially if you have heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, a smoking habit, or a sedentary lifestyle. 

I also encourage you to search the Internet and learn about the causes and how to prevent heart attacks for yourself and those you love especially women as they experience.

That is all.

Thrive not just survive

Often times in life it seems we get so busy with work, school, kids, grand kids, church, friends, etc. that we don't take time to enjoy the simple things in life.  The other day I was riding in the car with my wife and she was reading a book and she would periodically share parts of the book with me.  One sentence she read to me was, The key to happiness in life is learning to thrive not just survive.  I am quoting from memory but that was essentially it.

I really had to stop and think about that for a minute.  There are so many things in life that are beyond our control.  We never know from day to day or minute to minute if something bad will happen to us or some one we know.  We never know when tragedy will strike or hardship will reign supreme in our lives.  The only thing that is certain is that we will all experience tragedy and hardship.

So how do we thrive instead of just survive when the bad times come?  I am not 100% sure I have the answer.  But I often think that it is all about how we look at it.  When events in life come we have the choice to be angry or be happy.  Let me give you an example.  When I was a kid I would ask my dad to tell me a story at bed time.  I used to say if he could make me laugh the story was over.  Well as you can imagine I would do my best to not laugh, and I was quite good at it.  I was taking a happy event and nullifying it.  Now I know this is very different from a tragic event in life but I believe that the same principal applies.  We choose how we feel.  It isn't always an easy choice but I truly believe we choose how we feel.

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