My aha moment happened in July of 2005.  I was packing my car for an annual canoe trip on the Niobrara River with friends when I started having indigestion.  It didn't feel like much, but it wasn't going away.  I started to think that maybe I'd better get checked out because the area I was going to is quite remote and there would be no way to get immediate medical help if I needed it.  So I called the girlfriends and said that I might be late, and to leave without me if I wasn't there in time.  I then went to the emergency room, where they told me that I was in fact having a heart attack.  They whipped me through the cardiac catheterization lab in record time and I'm happy to report I'm just fine now.  But that night in the hospital I realized that my sons would not have been prepared to handle my funeral arrangements at that time.  So I knew I had some paperwork to take care of besides my cardiac rehab.  I got my will, living will, power of attorney...all those details completed.  I even have my burial plot picked out and paid for so they won't have to deal with that.

Now I have a new appreciation of what a gift life is.  And a second chance to watch my boys grow into men.  You never know how long you've got on this earth, so you need to make your time count…today.  Enjoy your family and friends.  Pay attention to your health.  Every day above ground is a good day, and a chance to make a positive difference.  It's all good!