Code Blue...

Originally Published December 15, 2019

def: a medical emergency in which a team of medical personnel work to revive an individual suffering cardiac arrest.

CODE BLUE: I'm sure you are familiar with the term.

We were recently at the hospital where my husband underwent an angiogram, part of his pre-transplant workup. A procedure where they send a scope up through the main artery in your groin to your heart to determine if there are blockages that could lead to cardiac arrest. We'd been here before. This time was a routine investigative procedure. We had no concerns.

Paul entered the cardiac investigation unit and I wandered off to find a nice quiet spot to wait. This was just one more test, one more day to get behind us.

I found a chair in the lower lobby. Black ... plastic vinyl, not overly comfortable, and certainly not intended for those who have a long wait ahead of them. Hospitals really could use some design and decorating advice for their waiting areas. There was nothing comfortable or soothing about this spot, but I digress. Nonetheless, I sat. Drank my latte and ate my blueberry muffin, being pleasantly surpirsed at the quality of both, as I settled in for the long wait.

and then ...

"CODE BLUE. CODE BLUE. Lower floor cardiac investigation. CODE BLUE. CODE BLUE."

As the message shrilled over the intercom, my chest tightened. Cardiac investigation? that's where Paul is. Oh no, it can't be him. Can it? Panic and fear quickly rose within me as a knot tightened in my stomach, and I struggled to breathe. Fumbling to gather myself up I began to walk down what felt like a long fog tunnel through the hallway to check on him. The walls were squeezing in on me. It can't be him. It simply cannot be. Not today!

I had to get to the desk. I just needed to get through this. We just needed to get back on track. Once there, I didn't have to utter a word. Sara, the unit clerk, very quickly assured me/ "It's not him, Karen. Paul's okay." Immediate relief washed over me. Thank goodness ... not today. The fog lifted.

I meandered back to the uncomfortable black vinyl chair and begin to build my plan for the next couple of hours of waiting. I started reviewing this past year in my business, determining what was feeling good, and what was not; and I began to create my goals and plans for the coming year; giving consideration as well, to the need to balance my work and navigating Paul's health journey. And I started thinking ...

CODE BLUE. This work was actually a response to my own personal "CODE BLUE"; my desire to reflect, assess and refocus on building momentum for my own success in 2020.

Do you have a CODE BLUE? At this time of year, many of us might be feeling we have a CODE BLUE. Maybe it's your job, your career, your business, or your relationships. Maybe you've simply lost your way. Code blue - the need to be revived.

Is this you? Do you need reviving in some areas of your life? Heading into the new year, a new decade, is a great time for us to assess, re-focus and revive that which is not fulfilling us.

Have you got a Code Blue? If so, where do you start?

Reflection. Take a look back over the year. What's working, what isn't? What feels good, what doesn't?

Revisit your values and beliefs. Is how you're living aligned with these? Where is the discomfort? What needs to change?

Set an action plan. Do the check -ns. Celebrate your successes. You'll be revived!

Reviving is a process. It takes clarity, work, and commitment to get through your code blue to a place of joy and success, without overwhelm. As a coach, I support clients, just like you, to take the journey and make the change in your life. Do you want more joy and less overwhelm? Do you need some reviving in your life? Let's step past the Code Blue, and into the joy of the life you've dreamed of. The life and joy you deserve. Let's get started!

________________

About the author:

Karen Hendrickson is an Elevation Coach, focused on helping others to rewrite their life story, befriend their mortality, and find the richness and magic that lives at the intersection of our lives where life and death meet. When we allow our authentic self permission to shine our life becomes full of MAGIC and GREATNESS.  Contact karenttjourney@gmail.com and start working with her today!