Day One of my stress-free life

[ Entry written after the fact and retro-published to the date of occurrence. ]

Thursday night, my cardiologist paroled me from the hospital.

He scheduled an appointment for the following week to review the results of my stress tests and perform an echocardiogram to check for blockage within my heart. He said that—based on available data—he was 90% certain that my chest pains would prove not to be heart-related.

However, both he and my primary care physician agreed that the problem was certainly stress-related. They insisted that I take a week out of the office and schedule a physical, lab work, etc.

With that, the two set me off into the world with one over-riding goal: Whatever I did, I absolutely, positively must not put myself into a stressful position.

The next day, my car stalled in heavy traffic, and I pushed it for half a block.

I also got married.

I know what you're thinking: getting married on day-one of my doctor-ordered stress-free life may not have been one of my better ideas—but this is because you don't have all of the facts.

Janna and I started dating over 25 years ago, so—really—it was about time.

I speak often about what I consider to be the secrets of having a great team: Truth and Transparency breed Trust, which in turn solidifies a good team.

Don't fool yourself. This is the only way to form a real team.

There is another secret I want to impart: This teamwork recipe applies to your team at home, as well as your team at the office. Without Truth, Trust, Transparency, and Teamwork, you'll never succeed at either location.

Those who know me best will ensure you that I am speaking from a position of great experience in the area of Marriage. As such, they trust that this decision will actually lower my stress levels rather than increase them.

We'll talk more after the honeymoon.