Heartbeats and Houses

It was 3 p.m. on a Tuesday, and I found myself turning on all the lights in my house. The St. Louis sky had that ominous summer glow—thick humidity, heavy air. You could feel the pressure building. Something had to give.

Just before the storm rolled in, a message from my cardiologist buzzed on my phone. I took a deep breath and opened it:

“Continue on as normal.”

And just like that, relief washed over me and I felt a little lighter. Because for the past three weeks, things had been anything but normal.