Guitar Lesson

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I started learning guitar online. It wasn’t live classes, but pre-recorded online classes. I really enjoyed them, and I studied and practiced diligently for a few years. Then, it occurred to me that I was almost finished with the course, and I didn’t know what to do next to learn more. I emailed the class teacher, Doctor McAllister, asking for his advice on the subject. What he said was that he would be in my area in a few weeks, and that he would be happy to meet me and have a class together. Although I was nervous about it, I accepted the suggestion. A few weeks later, we met and started the class.

I thought we would probably play songs together over and over again, until I could play it really well. But that wasn’t the case at all. He only asked me to play a song a few times, while he played rhythm guitar as accompaniment. Then, we stopped and this is what he said to me:

“You can learn and play songs, so we don’t need to spend time on that. It’s time for you to learn techniques, so it will be easier for you to improve and reach the next level.” Then, he showed me that my left hand was not in the correct orientation on the fretboard, but it was tilted. He was right, and although it was easy for him to see, I hadn’t noticed it before.

“Your muscles are too tight, Michael, and it’s hard to have facility of style without loose muscles. So relax before you play!” said Dr. McAllister.

Insight

That caught my attention right away, as my wife had recently said the same thing to me. We had been on a bus trip for a few weeks – something I was nervous about beforehand, as I get motion sickness quite easily. Fortunately, I didn’t have much of a problem with it this time. But my wife noticed something when the bus was rocking back and forth. “You’re fighting the motion of the bus, and you’re tensing instead of just letting go. You’ve got tight muscles not just on the bus, but all the time, and that’s not a good thing. You need to do something about that!” she said.

Both my wife and my guitar teacher were clear that I had a problem with stress, but what on earth could I do about it?

Recommendation

I asked ChatGPT (Artificial Intelligence) what the best way for me to relieve physical tension and mental stress was, and here is the answer I got back (which I have edited):

The best way for you to relieve physical tension and mental stress is to do deep breathing combined with movement – for example, yoga, tai chi, or mindful walking.

• Why? Gentle movement is combined with controlled breathing - which releases muscle tension and reduces stress levels in the mind.
• How to do it? Choose an activity that brings a natural rhythm to your breathing and movement - which will allow your body and mind to connect together in a state of relaxation and balance.

If you had to choose one, mindful walking is the simplest and most effective option.

Crazy Old Man

One day, when famous investor Marc Andreessen was driving in Palo Alto in Silicon Valley, he almost hit a crazy old man crossing the road. Looking back, he noticed the man was wearing a turtleneck and blue jeans. “Oh my God, I almost hit Steve Jobs!” Andreessen said to himself. He was right. Jobs was walking near his company - Apple. He was famous in the area for the long walks he would take. He believed that there were great benefits to walking – for exercise and meditation, for solving problems, and even for holding business meetings. He was right, and experts agree that walking has these benefits.

I hope you don't think I'm crazy, walking every day like Steve Jobs, or Forrest Gump! But despite that risk, I will continue with the same walks, because they are already doing me good, no doubt. The walks get rid of physical and mental stress, and if you have stress of any kind, put on your shoes and go for a walk!

I had been as brave as a lion up until the day before the operation. But then the truth hit me, and I realized for the first time that it was a heart operation. I had understood the words earlier but I did not understand them personally and as they applied to me. That operation would have been easy for another person, but now I understood correctly that it was not for another person. I might die, I told myself. Don’t be silly, said another voice in my head. It is a minor operation, and I will be back home tomorrow evening. All right, said the other voice, if everything goes without a problem, but there might be a problem, and what would happen then? The other voice was ready for it. You are as safe as a bank note, son! Doctor Gibson performs the same operation day after day, and his patients have never had a major problem. And another thing, he told you about the new, even safer surgical technique that he is currently practicing. The surgery is shorter, and people are back to their old selves more quickly too. I understand, says the first voice, but can’t I avoid any risks and continue with my medication regimen? But there are risks involved in that direction too. Your atrial fibrillation is getting worse over time, and it’s already a life-limiting condition. Not only that, but it’s more likely than not that you’ll have no other option but to have the surgery in the years to come. In that case, the surgery might not be as successful when your disease is more advanced.

I understand what you are saying, sensible voice, and although I am still worried about it, the right thing to do is to have the operation without delay.

With that I went to bed and in the morning I prepared to go into the hospital. I had a fasting day before the operation because I was going to have a general anaesthetic.

I was told to come in at eleven o’clock. After half an hour in the waiting room I was taken into the pre-operative room. I put on a surgical gown, and then I had to wait. My wife was with me and we were able to talk and chat together. Unfortunately, however, the surgeon had a few difficult cases that delayed my operation. It was a long day, and at five o’clock the surgeon arrived and was sorry that my case was delayed, and that he was going to do the operation anyway, and that I would have to stay in hospital overnight. My wife was then able to go home, and the surgeon would call her after the operation.

Bhí mé stiúgtha leis an ocras agus spalptha leis an tart, ach ní raibh mé in ann bia nó deoch a bheith agam. Tar éis tamaill, chuir an ainéistéiseolaí é féin in aithne dom, agus chuir sé cúpla cheist orm chun cinntiú go raibh gach rud i gceart. D’inis sé dom faoin bpróiseas maidir leis an ainéistéiseach, agus go n-ionsáfaí tiúb i mo scornach chun cuidiú le m’análú le linn na hobráide.

Finally, around seven o’clock at night, I was taken into the operating room and then onto the operating table. There were large machines on each side and a wall of screens showing all kinds of measurements and images. There were also medical staff in the room, all of whom were very busy doing various tasks. One person placed sensors on my chest and back. Then, I was laid down. The anesthesiologist was positioned behind me. The surgeon was not there yet.

The next thing I knew, I was in the pre-operative room, and awake. A nurse told me that everything went well, and that my heart was now in the right rhythm – which I saw on screens next to my bed. I was taken to another building on a trolley, and into a nice room with a nice view of the city of San Diego. I had to stay in bed for four hours, to make sure there was no problem with my femoral artery bleeding. A nurse gave me water and food (crackers). I ate everything there was and drank a lot of water. I couldn’t go to sleep because of a slight pain in my chest. The nurse gave me medicine to relieve my pain, and before long I was able to sleep.

Early in the morning, I ordered a big breakfast, and promptly ate it. Then, I texted my wife, and then I called her. She was so happy to hear from me, and she said that the surgeon had called her after the operation, saying that he was happy with the operation, and that I was recovering.

My wife arrived at the hospital, and by lunchtime we were checked out and on our way home. I had received post-operative orders, and the main order was to take it easy for a week – no exercise other than walking, and no heavy lifting. I followed the instructions without question, and I had no problems. I then resumed my normal activities, including exercise. I had no problems at all, quite the opposite. I felt better than ever, and I was able to do everything and more after the surgery than before. It’s almost two months since the surgery as I write this, and I’m going from strength to strength in terms of energy. If you have any irregularity in your heart rhythm, I would recommend that you go to the doctor immediately. And if you have fibrillation, be sure to ask the specialist about ablation. That surgery could radically change your life and give you back your health. And don’t worry about it, the benefits are definitely worth the trouble!

One minute, I felt fine. Then, without warning, it was as if a strong hand had grabbed my heart and started shaking and squeezing it wildly. I had a big problem! We went to St. Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny right away, my wife driving. There were many other people waiting in the emergency department, with all sorts of things wrong with them. It took me four hours to see the doctor and by then my heart had settled down. The first time the doctor checked my blood pressure I had high blood pressure, but when he checked it again it was normal. I said I was stressed, because my father had recently died, and it wasn’t easy for me to deal with that. The doctor told me that was the problem, and that it was important for me to do breathing exercises every day, and that it would help me to get rid of the stress of life. That was it! Let’s go home again!

To me, the situation was still unresolved, since I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I did what the doctor recommended, which I still do every day. That was all very well! We got back to California the next week, and we continued with our normal routine. It gave me a false sense of security for a while, and I was thinking that the doctor was right and that it was just stress. I had barely forgotten it when it happened again. I was able to go to my doctor the same day, and he did an electrocardiogram (ECG). He said that my heart was beating too early from time to time, but that was not a problem. I went home, but I didn’t feel right. I made another appointment with my doctor, and he did another electrocardiogram. “Oh!” he said. “I’m sorry I didn’t see this last time, but you have atrial fibrillation, or ‘A-Fib’!”

“That’s what I thought, doctor!” I said. “Atrial fibrillation runs in my family, so it’s no wonder I have it now.” I was then referred to a cardiologist. The cardiologist ran all sorts of tests on my heart—an ECG, an MRI, an echocardiogram, and a stress test on a treadmill. I still had A-Fib, and the cardiologist prescribed medication to stop the irregularity in my heart rhythm. It took more than a week, but eventually my heart rhythm returned to a normal, or regular, rhythm. Then the doctor prescribed a few medications, including an anticoagulant. He said that people with A-Fib had a much higher risk of having a stroke.

I continued like this for a few years, when I had another episode of A-Fib. The doctor prescribed medication, and when I took it, it stopped the A-Fib. He told me to take that medication whenever I had an A-Fib. At first, I only had an A-Fib episode a few times a year. But gradually, the A-Fib happened more often. Even though I was able to stop it, it wasn’t nice to be in A-Fib. I felt uncomfortable and anxious every time I had an A-Fib, and it took three or four hours for the medication to stop it.

Finally, the cardiologist said it was time for me to see an electrophysiologist. An electrophysiologist is a specialist who specializes in the electrical system of the heart. This system controls the heart rate as well as the contraction and relaxation of the heart muscle. When you have A-Fib, there is a problem with the electrical circuit in your heart, so that your heart does not beat regularly in a normal manner. As a result, the heart does not work as well as it should, in terms of circulating blood. This causes you to feel short of breath and tired, as well as feeling chest discomfort.

I saw the electrophysiologist right away, and he reviewed the test results from the cardiologist. Dr. Gibson is an honest, easy-to-understand man, and he said that I could continue with the medication, if I wanted. But he said that I also had another option, which was to have an ablation. He then explained to me what this medical procedure involved. I would be under general anesthesia during the operation. A catheter would be inserted into the femoral artery, and then up the artery and into my heart. Pulses of electrical energy would be used to kill the diseased tissue in the heart's electrical system. There would then be a good chance that the A-Fib would be gone completely or at least for a good while. “You have the information now, and you have to make the decision!” Dr. Gibson told me. “There's no rush – think about it, and get back to me with your decision then.” I didn’t have to think. “If I have a good chance of getting rid of that disease, even for a while, the benefit would be worth the trouble. How soon can the operation be done?” I said.

..

I'm not a superstitious person, but it felt as if a message had fallen from the heavens. It happened suddenly. We -my wife, myself and two friends- had visited the Mormon visitor center in St. George, Utah, in America when it happened. But before that…

Background

Utah is closely associated with the Mormon religion, officially known as the Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Joseph Smith founded the religion in 1830. According to LDS teachings, the angel Moroni came to him on September 21, 1823, and told him that he was chosen to restore God's church on Earth. Moroni also told Smith that he had placed gold tablets in western New York, and that they had the writings of the ancient prophets. Smith is said to have recovered the tablets four years later and translated them into English from an unknown language. The result of his work was the holy scripture of the LDS church - "The Book of Mormon".

The Mormons were thought to be rebels, so they were persecuted in Missouri and then in Illinois. In 1844, Smith was charged with treason and imprisoned. An anti-Mormon gang killed him in prison. Brigham Young succeeded Smith as president of the church in 1846. Young and his followers went on a great journey to Utah to escape persecution, and Utah has been the center of the LDS church ever since. There is a variety of religions in Utah today, with Mormons making up 40% of the population of 3.5 million.

Sister Davis was our guide in the visitor center, and she shared information about the Mormons. There was a film to see, and posters to read as part of the visit. It was very interesting for us to learn about the Mormons and their religion. Sister Davis was a friendly lady and patiently answered our questions.

Message?

After our visit to the visitor center, one of our guests took a few photos of us in our van. We were parked across the street from the center. I opened my window and reached out through the window for photos. Then I pushed the switch to raise the window. It started working properly at first, but then there was a loud noise like the sound of a shot and the window glass jumped up at blazing speed and then fell down again. The window was then fully open, and the switch no longer worked. A message from heaven perhaps?

Mechanic?

It was after 5 p.m. at the time and it was difficult to find a mechanic as most garages were closed by then. But there was one that would be open until 5:30. I called it, and I spoke to someone named Jake. I explained that we were parked outside the Mormon visitor center and that we were in trouble because of the van window. He agreed to take the van in even though it meant the mechanics would have to work overtime to fix the problem.

We drove straight to the garage, and they brought the van in right away. The whole process took about 45 minutes and the staff had to stay at work for more than half an hour after closing time. It turned out that the window motor had worn out, and they didn't have a replacement available on (such) an urgent basis. They would be able to lift the window and secure it in place with a screw and plastic fasteners – allowing us to continue our journey and get a new motor after the road trip. We agreed to that solution. Thanks to Jake and his team, we were soon on our way again and the window remained closed for the rest of the trip. The only minor problem we had was that it was a bit noisy when we were driving, as there was a small gap at the top of the window - but that didn't bother us.

Conversion?

I was so taken by the series of strange events that the other three started teasing me for a while. "Michael, do you intend to convert to Mormonism?" said one person. "'Yes", said my wife, "he will want to relocate to St. George soon.” And they continued to make fun of me. Were they right – is it?

Are you kidding me too? Seriously though, if I were a superstitious person, I might contemplate, trying to find out if the strange events of the day could be connected in some way to Mormonism. But I'm not like that. The window motor in the van was on its last legs, no doubt, and it's a coincidence that it broke outside the venue. And what about the garage that Jake kept open for us after closing time? Well, maybe Jake is an exemplary person, or maybe when he heard that we were outside his own religion's visitor center, he was inspired to do his deed of the day. In any case, I don't plan on relocating to Utah any time soon!

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