On this day ten years ago I had a cardiac arrest. My heart was stopped for 10 minutes. I’ve written about this event every year on the Traumaversary, and I’m glad I have. Ten years. Every day I’ve been thankful. I’ve tried to make my life and my family better. I’ve tried to become a good teacher. Ten grateful years. Hard to believe that’s about 20% of my whole experience… all after that heart attack.

Above are two of my heart prints. These are two-block woodcuts , each printed in two colors (8.25 x 5 inches). The blocks are slightly de-registered so that they overlay and make dynamic line and color action over the heart. When made into a gif, they pulse like a real heart…

I feel extremely blessed to have been able to carry on, but also to have been transformed in many ways over this decade. I want to make the most of my time, convey a spirit of generosity and kindness, to be a good father and encourage my kids, to advocate for my students, to support my friends and colleagues… and to find more about beingness by which to be astounded. In a time when so much has gone wrong in this country and the wider world, I am still hopeful that when I leave this world I will find it to have become better, because I know that I have gotten so. Every day I find something to love, to passionately explore, to laugh with my family about – and that dual outpouring/indwelling experience is the great joy. I have been rewarded by my practice of attention over these years.

Here’s to ten more.