Mama Bear and Heart Disease Prevention

One of the biggest mistakes made in the care of ourselves and others is failure to check the scene first before entry. Whether an emergency or achieving a life time goal one needs to access their scene to get the most out of it. The scene for our purposes is our immediate sphere of influence. Those things beyond our reach are not directly dealt with here. There is a military training exercise whereupon entering an area you ask yourself three questions: What do you see, what do you have and what do you need? These three questions provide a minimal framework to which we deal with either a crisis or a goal. What we see determines our ability to achieve-do we have support, obstacles and safety. If we have neither support nor safety, we stand little chance of success. However, with support or help we can achieve with greater ease. Consider the last question, what do you need? If we find ourselves without support or safety we must acquire it soon. In heart disease prevention is the key. Prevention is a form of checking the scene because you must assess where you are, what you have and what do you need. If you are not prepared you are not preventing. Fighting heart disease is one thing, getting it is another. Let me take it further, we may fight strong for ourselves in a life or death situation, but I propose we will fight still harder to protect a child. The mama bear response. The mama bear will fight to stay alive but you mess with her young and she'll show you no lack of force. I suspect we have the same mechanism in us. We may fight somewhat to prevent Heart Disease but we should fight more if it becomes reality. How do we fight? What you see, what you have and what you need. If we are diagnosed with heart disease some say the fight is over, depression sets in. Is is important that this not be the case with any of us. We must quickly acquire friends, healthcare professionals and activity that promote better health now and of course after. Survival then is perhaps 90% attitude. Depression and denial are big factors in heart disease but so are our contingency plans. A right attitude focused on improving what we have (now), and poised on what we see, we then get set us up to deal with what we need (care). Have the attitude that cares enough to check the scene before entry. Do not go in unprepared. Do not go without prevention. So then square your shoulders, chin up and enter life's scene with friends, professionals, faith and whatever smooth stone you find in the river bed. Finally, for the sake of someone you love, be the mama bear.