NORTON

me because I didn’t stay at that elevation for long as heading down the mountain was the goal, not camping at 12,000 feet. The home I am staying in has an awesome view. Now that I have acclimated I am enjoying it so much more as the views on a blue-sky sunny day are phenomenal. And with the amount of snow we have received, the mountains seem more majestic than ever.

Living at 10,200 feet brings with it a few extra benefits as the solace and quiet bring a sense of tranquility that escapes us in and around any city we may find ourselves living in. The rush and crush of daily life down at lower elevations is replaced up here with the hush of the wind whispering through the pine trees. It’s one of the most refreshing and relaxing places I have ever had the privilege to work from, even as I take calls, virtual meetings with customers and team members, while also finding time to write.

There is something else I have noticed, the people who live up here are used to living and rising above the noise and chatter going on in the city, in the news, and on social media. Not that there aren’t any concerns about the realities of life, they simply choose to find their peace by letting what others think about, worry about, and post about, to do it somewhere else and not up here.

Stopping into the local saloon there are people actually having conversations and not glued to their phones. Conversations are happening about the snowfall, the skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and other pleasures of living in the mountains. And not just during winter, I have heard all the stories of fishing, hunting, hiking, mountain biking, hang gliding and golfing in the other seasons. Since I have lived up here for this brief time and have tried to settle in with the locals, I haven’t heard any conversations about politics from either side, no discussion of the pressures of society, and no attacks on anyone in the small town or community. ing cause of death in Colorado.

When they talk, they talk about family, friends, travel, life experiences, the fresh mountain air and how they still stand in awe and wonder at mountains and sights all around them from the snowcovered mountains to the turning of the aspen leaves as the yellow of the aspens melds softly into the brightness of the evergreens. They talk about fly-fishing the rivers, and as one gentleman shared, he didn’t even care if he went out and came back without any fish. To just stand in God’s handiwork, quietly admiring all the nature surrounding him, was equally rewarding.

We can’t all go live at 10,200 feet, but we can all choose to rise above the noise and escape the rush and crush happening all around us. Are you part of the noise or part of the peace? Can you use a break from it all and find a little more quietness? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@sandler.com, and when we can rise above the noise to find solace, peace, and tranquility, it really will be a better than good life.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

Heart arrhythmia, heart valve disease and heart failure are among the many types of heart disease.

Park said high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease. .

With high blood pressure, there is more pressure on the arteries and as people age, they harden. When the arteries harden, the blood cannot move as easily.

“You take a garden hose and you turn the water on and that water’s kind of free owing, and that’s your heart vessel when you’re young,” said Park. “And then when you start taking your hand and your thumb and put it over the end of that garden hose, the pressure in the hose starts increasing, the water starts owing a little bit faster, and a bit harder.”

Problems arise when the arteries harden too much, causing the pressure to be too high. When this happens, the heart has to work overtime. Park says it is the long standing e ects of high blood pressure that concerns cardiologists. e heart having to work overtime can often cause what is called, demand ischemia. According to Park, this is when the heart and the demand and the supply of the heart are mismatched and the heart has to work overtime in order to overcome those high blood pressures.

Symptoms of heart disease can be di erent for everyone..

“I see a lot of patients who just have very vague symptoms,” said Park. “ ey’re like, ‘I just couldn’t sleep well. I just kind of felt there’s a weird kind of sensation in my chest and you know, it wasn’t anything severe and it kind of moved up my neck’.” ose experiencing chest pain and seeking medical attention will typically have an EKG done to monitor the heart rhythm. Special marker’s of a heart attack will show up in blood work said Park.

According to Park, one can never be too sure about the heart, therefore, it is worth going to get a check up and a test.

“If you notice something’s changed, I think that’s the time where you really reevaluate that decision and say, ‘maybe it’s not the worst thing just to kind of reassure myself’,” said Park.