Heart Beats

/ roughwighting

heartbeat, grandparenting, Pixabay, Apple watchI open my daughter’s refrigerator and frown. Hot dogs. Chicken nuggets. Left-over spaghetti. Root beer.

When I’d received my daughter’s desperate plea: “Can you come watch the kids? We have to go to a town meeting and the babysitter just bailed,” it was almost past my bedtime (kidding, kinda) – 7:00 p.m. My guy and I had just finished dinner and on a whim, I brought the leftovers.

“Yay, your mac and cheese!” the three grandkiddies exclaim after I close the refrigerator door and pull out the container from my overlarge purse.

Now that their appetites are assuaged, what to do? The sun hasn’t quite set, so my brave guy takes the older sister and her brother outside with the electric scooter. Will I ever see him again? In one piece? Minecraft, grandparenting, Pixabay

The youngest grandchild – 7 going on 47 – insists that I sit with him as he builds worlds on Minecraft. Some of you may ask me, “what is Minecraft?” After diligently watching Neville tap buttons on his IPad to build a wall, a moat, and a concrete building made up of crystals and diatomite, I can honestly say “I have no idea.”

The other two race into the house with a fully intact grandfather. Phew. We all sit on the couch telling stories of friendly ghosts and funny vampires. Somehow that leads to a question of heartbeats, and my granddaughter reminds me that I can hit the little red heart on my Apple watch to measure my heart beats per minute. Huh, I’d never checked that out before. We watch as the little heart goes around and around: “measuring” it assures me. Then a number pops up. 61.

Kauai, Pacific Ocean, island dreaming“61!” Eleven-year-old sassypants exclaims. “Madre, I don’t think you’re alive.”

“No,” I explain. “This is what yoga and meditation do. It keeps me calm and relaxed.”

My guy chimes in, “That’s way too slow. Your watch must be broken.”

So the grandgirl places it on her wrist, and we all watch the little heart on the watch go around and around: “Measuring.” And then pops up the number 86.         

Sophie is quite proud of her beating heart and begins to perform jumping jacks, racing the heart measurement up to 130.

“My watch is going to give me a warning!” I protest.

My guy smirks, so I hand him the watch and dare him: “Let’s see what your heartbeat is.”

After he places the watch tightly on his wrist, the number goes down. And down. And down. 59.

Pixabay, grandparenting, meditation, heartbeatHa! We grandparents are cool, calm, and just chillin’ with the grandkids.

WHAT DO YOU GUESS YOUR HEARTRATE IS RIGHT NOW?

124 thoughts on “Heart Beats”

  2. Your grandkiddies reaction to your mac and cheese sounds exactly like Derek. He loves mine. I’ve been awake tossing and turning since 2:00 a.m., so I’m guessing my rate is more in Sophie’s range after the jumping jack. Speaking of high heart rates, the hummies were enjoying our feeders yesterday as the remnants of Hurricane Sally blew through. They’re still here…yay!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Oh, I can imagine the heart beats of hummers. 200 beats/minute? 300? Glad you’re still being visited by the beauties. Yesterday a ‘new’ one (probably passing by from Maine) with a shining green coat hummed right next to my guy and me as we sat next to our geranium plant. Not even two feet away. What a noise those wings make.
      Now, tonight dream about that hum and sleep tight.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. It’s lovely that you’re close enough to step in to babysit–and you really are the cool grandparents. I know of Minecraft, but I’d have no idea what to do with it either.

    According to my Fitbit, mine is 57 right now.

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  5. Another awesome blog from you my dear, sweet, awesome, beautiful old friend….so cute too! I absolutely love 💜 reading all your fabulous blogs! And I have to tell you that I am way behind in reading some! I save your emails so I can get back to them later and promise my sweet friend that I will! Take good care dear Pam and stay safe and healthy! Love 💕 you! Hugs 🤗 💜🌈🙏

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  6. This is terrific!! First, I’m hoping that the events in this post took place after the events of your previous post, meaning that your guy is healthy, back to normal, and doing great.

    Second, your heartbeat matches mine, which is usually at 61 when sitting and not freaking out about something.

    Third, I’ll bet your mac & cheese is delicious!! You’re a great Madre. Hugs ❤

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  8. I’m so ignorant that I have no idea what a regular heartbeat is supposed to be. Sure, whenever I go to the doctor, the nurse gives me a number and states “perfect”. I guess that number is around 80? 90?

    These days, it feels higher when I go to bed thinking (and worrying) about all the tasks I still have to perform before my self-imposed book publication deadline. I’d love me a mac&cheese right now, but my husband is allergic to cow milk. Wait a minute…my husband is on the Cape to work for a week. I guess I can attempt to make this dish one of these days. Thanks for the inspiration, Pam – about heartbeats and food.

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    • Haha – quick! Make up a batch of mac and cheese. I think you could use some comfort food right now. Self-imposed deadlines are known to increase heart beats as if you were jump roping for 10 minutes. Stop. Breathe. You are meant to enjoy the process. ❤

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  10. I so often pause and ponder if the current blog is creative fiction or the-happenings-of-Pam’s-life. Guessing the latter today! No idea about my heart rate, it’s usually in the normal range, whatever normal is these days. Love hearing about the grandkids!

    Liked by 1 person

    • There is no normal anymore, Kathy! But my guess is that your average heart rate is about 60. You take a lot of time to reflect and meditate.
      I try to tag my posts as either fiction or nonfiction to give my readers a clue. But if my posts have anything to do with grandkids, they are non-fiction. I can’t make this stuff up! 😏💖

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  16. Since I don’t go anywhere (other than the shower) without my FitBit, I know my current heartrate is 58. It goes up to 92 or so when I’m doing my hourly 250 fast steps around the house. I do LOVE smartwatches, and mine has made me much more aware of my activity level and my health overall.

    Glad yours is keeping you honest, too. And your grandkids (and hubby) sound pretty cool to me. Fun post, Pam! Made me smile. And made me miss my own who are now living way far away in Denver. 😦

    Liked by 1 person

    • I never thought I would like having a smart watch. My daughter gave it to me for Christmas and I’ve been hooked ever since. Watching our steps keeps us honest, doesn’t it? And now we can make sure our heart isn’t beating too fast or too slow. I sure hope you’ll be able to visit your grandkids in Denver sooner rather than later. 🙏💜

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  17. I enjoyed your whole piece, Pam, but especially the “I have no idea” comment regarding what Minecraft is.

    When I taught elementary school, the kids always “educated” me about things that they were interested in. Quite naturally, when trying to bond with someone, you pay attention to the things they like. Mnecraft was taking off near the end of my career. I can’t say that I got to the point where I understood it, but I sure confiscated a lot of pictures of Steve, Zombie, Skeleton, Pig, Iron Golem, and Creeper. Am I impresssing you with my Minecraft knowledge? 🤣🤣🤣

    I’m still waiting on my grandpa days (My son needs to get busy, haha 😎) but I guarantee you that I will be like your hubby trying out that electric scooter and doing jumping jacks with them to elevate my heart rate to prove that I am indeed alive. Thanks for the laughs.

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    • I am indeed impressed with your Minecraft knowledge, Pete – at least with the terminology. 😊
      I suggest you go buy an electric scooter and start practicing now along with the jumping jacks. You never know when you might need those skills… 🤩 Stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive… 🎶

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  19. Lovely way to tell a cute story Pam. Heart beats? Never checked them but recently my doctor told me that my heartbeat was too fast! It keeps changing I guess. Grandkids do have a role in the changes. 🙂

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    • Oh yes, the drama and activity around grandkids can definitely get our heart beats racing faster. I suggest more poetry writing for you. That should ease your stress and get your heart rate down to 60. 🙏❤️

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  20. Cute. Little ones will usually have faster heartbeats. I do meditation and yoga; why is my heartbeat so much higher? Could be because I just got back from dropping off my mom’s groceries for her (she can’t do it for herself anymore), and the first thing she says to me is, “What is wrong with your hair?” 😏

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  21. Pam, this whole story is absolutely precious! Those crazy kiddos say the darndest things! 😁 Your heart rate is definitely fantastic. I’d always understood that a lower heart rate means a relaxed, fit heart. Congratulations!

    I did get a good laugh out of you saying, “I have no idea,” in regards to the point of Minecraft. I’m sure your youngest grandson would be glad to tell you all about it! How cute.

    I’ll take a little mac & cheese, please! Sounds delicious and their reaction to you bringing it was priceless. It was a true joy to read the stories of you and your family. Thank you for brightening my day! ❤

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    • Thank you so much Holly for reading my funny little family story. Oh my, my grandson has sat and explained Minecraft to me for hours. I just sit there and nod my head like I understand what he’s saying. Sweetly, he made me a Minecraft lighthouse to beam my light upon all. 😍

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  22. I love being in the world of grandkids. I do know the term Minecraft and that its a game but not much else a out it…lol. Not sure on my heart beat it used to be high but I’d guess lower as I’ve aged a bit:)

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    • I think our heartbeat does slow down a little bit with age but it can go up even higher with stress! Here’s to breathing into calmness and not even trying to understand Minecraft. 😆😎

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  23. I wear a Fitbit and I’m at 65 right now. I’m quite happy with that considering the day I’ve had and when I had the blood clots two months ago it was always above 90 at rest and shot up alarmingly when I walked.
    I totally get what you mean when you say you have no idea what Minecraft is about. Wait until he’s older and it will be Dungeons and Dragons. I thought from the name it would be a fairly easy concept to grasp – nope.

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  27. Love the post…I have become addicted to my watch, as it encourages/challenges me to up my expertise, activity and calorie goals every week…and I use the “breathe” function for a minute of quiet – and it gives me my heart rate – 73 right now! Got my car maintenance done two days ago, and while they worked on it, I took a 5 miles masked power walk – it was 93 degrees…got back and was at 122 resting rate!

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  28. My Fitbit registers 51 bpm right now. Am I still alive? Compared to the stats I see on your post and in the comments boxes, I wonder.

    How fortunate your grandkids are within arms’ reach. I count my blessings too, but now they are teenagers they have faded from view, except when one comes over to do yard work.

    Minecraft? I bought a box for a grandson when he was younger, but was never invited to play. Maybe I should have been more assertive. Your post beats with all the pleasures of a huge heart! Thanks, Pam.

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    • You are a cool, calm, alive woman with a great sloooooow heart rate. Love it, Marian. I’m getting ready to pick up my granddaughter and friends for their ballet practice. We all have our masks on in the car but it’s still rather stressful, thus I notice my heart rate is up to 81. Yikes. But I’ll keep on keeping on with them. They’re 12, and soon, like you say, I will be a distance memory in their teenage lives. Wahhhhh. xo

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  29. You two are mellow grandparents. That is so awesome. And what a fun discussion with the grandkids. And my 7-yr-old grandson is a Minecraft fan too. He tried to teach me and I just walked into trees. Lol Honesly, I couldn’t do it. Lol. Such a cute post, Pam. You have a big heart! ❤

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  31. Have you ever tried lobster Mac n cheese? Don’t because you’ll never stop! Three days ago I did a morning breathing guided Meditation. Got down to a 53. I thought I died, but I lived to talk about it. I was very relaxed!

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  32. No smart watch here . . . but we do have leftover Ziti with Zucchini in the fridge! Almost as yummy as mac & cheese.

    Your evening with the grandkids sounds like a win-win-win! Good for them, you, and your daughter & SIL.

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    • Ziti with Zucchini sounds yum. I better find that recipe, since I have a lot of zucchini right now. Not sure the Grandkids would think it’s as yum as mac and cheese, since it’s “green.” 🙂 🙂

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  33. How cute, Pam, and I love that you’re chillin’ grandparents! My fitbit reads that mine is 64, resting and calm. It’s Saturday, the air is clearer, the sky will be blue, so it’ll probably stay calm. Have a great weekend! 💕

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    • Sorry to hear that you have inherited high blood pressure. I’m not a doctor, but I highly encourage you to begin meditation (really, just 10 minutes a day to start) to naturally/organically lower your heart rate. It works!

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  38. Children bring fresh eyes to everything in life. My resting heartbeat is around 59 when I’m in bed writing in my journal. I just wrote a note to Hallmark about how they are overlaying awful music on their re-run movies and spoiling my enjoyment of them so my heartbeat is up to 71. When I’m walking uphill it can go up to 115 because I’m really pushing this lump up and trying to breathe at the same time. Yoga IS good for keeping your heart rate low. Keep up the good work and don’t let anyone worry you. I think I’ll make some mac and cheese this week and not the box variety. You can bring your over sized purse to my house any time, Pam.

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    • Oohh, you’re making me smile Marlene. Yes, writing letters to Hallmark can definitely increase your heart rate. I wrote to Hallmark years ago (when they were known for their stationary and stationary stores) complaining because they put out their xmas merchandise before Halloween arrived. Urgh. They sent me some stationary, apologized, but said they’ll always do that because people always buy their xmas stuff….even in July.
      Hope you’re making that Mac & Cheese. If I lived nearby, I’d gladly bring some over in my oversized purse. 🙂 🙂 ❤

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  44. I’m with out on Minecraft and other similar games. It’s hard to keep up, especially with the little boys.

    You must be a very healthy, relaxed grandma. I just tested my heart rate. Not as bad as I thought: 65.

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  47. Your family sounds like episodes around here, Pam. I am sure your mac and cheese tastes better. We are also working on the intact grandfather around here. So far, so good. Lots of fun with the watch. My 2 year old grandson requests the “jellyfish” on mine. The best time!

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      • You may get a kick out of this, Pam. And pretty straightforward. It is on your watch app on your phone. “Face Gallery”. The category is “Motion”. You have choices: Jellyfish, Butterflies, Flowers. You just click on them. They transfer to your watch. You can then change the Face of your watch by sliding your finger across. When you tap on the screen the jellyfish, butterflies, flowers move. My 2 year old and 71 year old requests it.🙂

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