How's Your Heart? A Read-Aloud from Rachel
may the sound of my voice remind you to take care of you
In honor of the seven year “bookversary” of Only Love Today, I would like you to hear my voice as I share this story with you. Click the ‘play’ button above to listen. Thank you for being here.
Eight years ago, I went to a doctor’s appointment hoping for answers to an ongoing medical issue and came out with more questions. My blood pressure was scary high, which was unusual for me. I was told to purchase a blood pressure cuff and start monitoring it twice daily.
I stopped at a drugstore on my way home to get the cuff. Within minutes of arriving home, I sat down at the kitchen table to get a reading. I could have done it myself, but I was learning to ask for help, especially when my hands and heart were shaky.
I called out to my then 12-year-old daughter Natalie who had an avid interest in the medical field at the time.
“I know how to do it, Mom,” Natalie said, guiding my arm through the sleeve with capable hands. “We learned this at emergency medicine camp last summer.”
As the cuff tightened on my arm, and Natalie looked at me with loving concern, a few things became crystal clear…
Those messy piles on the kitchen counter didn’t matter.
Those snug fitting pants on the floor of my closet didn’t either.
That opportunity I missed 15 years ago and still thought about didn’t matter so much anymore.
The internet trolls and critics don’t deserve my precious energy, I decided.
Even Day 9 of non-stop rain sounded soothing as it beat down on the roof of my house.
As the cuff began to loosen and the numbers flashed, I decided I’d call my mom. I’d write a note to Scott and put it on his pillow. I’d tackle that giant knot in Avery’s hair, but I’d do it softly and gently. I’d go for a walk in the rain with my favorite playlist of songs. And I’d write – I’d write beautiful words that would outlast me.
And that is what I did.
All because of a blood pressure reading.
This memory came back to me in full force on Tuesday when I handed my new doctor a completed blood pressure log. At my November appointment, my blood pressure had been elevated. Given my family history, Dr. Wilson asked me to track it for two months.
“This is so colorful!” Dr. Wilson exclaimed looking over the numbers I’d written in an array of bright colors – a new color for every day.
I didn’t tell her I was learning to color myself in as part of my self-discovery process – but I did tell her how monitoring my blood pressure in 2016 had changed my outlook on life.
“Well, your numbers look great,” the doctor said, adding that I could stop the daily readings.
I remember being released from the daily process last time and how I kept on doing it for a while anyway.
I’d taken I’d taken an informal inventory of what had transpired since the purchase of that first cuff. I’d taken more walks, more naps, more risks. I’d given more second chances, more loving glances, more three-second pauses. I’d given away less of my most precious commodities, like time, focus, and energy, so there was plenty for the people I loved. I stopped mindlessly scrolling social media and accepting requests out of guilt; I declined social gatherings that drained me and eliminated unnecessary commitments. In other words, the cuff had empowered me to invest in the most important areas of my life, despite what the outside world wanted from me.
That was what happened in 2016, but it’s also what’s happening in 2024.
The blood pressure cuff clears away the meaning-less, so I can seize the meaning-ful.
My friend, if you haven’t checked your heart lately, may I suggest grabbing a cuff? As the blood pulses through your veins, you might just get a clear view of what you want to do with your precious time today.
There’s a good chance you’ll find the priorities of the world are vastly different than the priorities of your heart.
Listen to your heart.
It knows the way.
📚 My friends, the blood pressure monitoring experience eight years ago was instrumental to the writing of my third book, Only Love Today, that released to the world seven years ago this week!
I coined the stop-phrase ‘only love today’ when I realized the damage my inner critic was having on the people I love, especially my first-born daughter, Natalie. Those three words have reshaped the way I talk to myself and have become a way of life. So many of you in this beloved treehouse community have adopted this phrase by wearing it on your wrist and making it part of your own story too. I am so grateful.
🌳 SAVE THE DATE! Our next treehouse gathering on Zoom will be Friday, March 15th at 4pm Eastern. Having a late afternoon session will provide the opportunity for our international friends to attend❣️ Paid subscribers will be sent the link next week along with a playlist of songs that are helping me “color myself in” and follow the nudges on my heart. Anyone with a free subscription can upgrade now to receive that.
🎙️NEW PODCAST EPISODE! I recently returned as a guest on one of my favorite podcasts, Surviving Sarah. The delightful Sarah Bragg and I talked about the shifts we can make internally to overcome self-sabotaging thoughts that keep us from accepting our authentic selves and stepping forward with courage.
❤️ And now, my favorite part of every post… your contributions. Tell me friends, what experiences help (or have helped) you get clarity on what really matters? Is there anything on your heart today that you’d like to share in this safe space? Please know how grateful I am for you and the community we have here.
Thank you for this today Rachel. I loved hearing your voice share your lesson. I’m going to listen to my heart ❤️
Good morning Rachel! I've given much thought to your reply on my comment on the Surviving Sarah post and it made me realize that we are all "walking" each other on our journeys. It never occurred to me that our comments and encouragement to you would have any impact. I was wrong. We are all looking and listening for the positive, encouragement, and hope. I wrote in my planner/journal today "Listen to your heart. It knows the way." I plan to be in the Treehouse on Friday. How can I help you?