Birthday . . . 82 years and 3 billion heart beats

Today is my 82nd birthday.  To those who try to cheer us old folks up by saying "age is only a number," my reply is:   "True;   but in fact 82 is a higher number than 81.    And my 82 definitely feels older than my 81."

I will agree that one person's 82 may be younger than another person's 75.    But few can honestly say that they feel younger at 82 than they did at 75.   Aging is pretty much a one-way street.

In fact, a recent visit with my cardiologist has prompted me to read up on the latest treatment strategies for atrial fibrillation.   An excellent 68 page, down-loadable pamphlet from the Johns Hopkins Medical Center starts with a startling little detail:

"The heart beats close to 100,000 times a day."    Think about it.   It sounds astonishing, but that's what you get with a pulse rate of 70.  And of course doesn't even include all the times your heart speeds up from exercise, fear, excitement, or anxiety -- to say nothing of various illnesses or cardiac arrythmias.

So having lived 82 years, that means my old heart muscle has done its repetitive job of contracting somewhere north of 3,016,944,000 times.  

Wow.   That is over 3 billion heart beats in one life-time.   Without a single vacation day or time off for good behavior for the old ticker.

It's a bit humbling.    More than 3 billion individual contractions of one organ to keep my blood circulating, bringing oxygen to my brain, my fingers, my digestive tract, my muscles;  filtering metabolic by-products through my kidneys and liver.    Keeping my body going . . . and, hopefully, my mind functioning.

Ralph

PS:   My favorite birthday card about having another birthday: 
  
Front of card:   "People who have more birthdays . . . "     
Inside the card:                                                   " . . . tend to live longer."