Spicy Schezwuan: Got Religion?

A little over a year ago, I had quite the moving experience.

But it's not what you think. I'm talking about my gut. I ate at my usual neighborhood chinese joint, ordering my fav kungpao chicken. Only this time around it didn't agree with me. Two days later I woke up to the fact that I probably didn't have food poisoning, but something much more serious.

Hours later I was screaming in pain having never thought anyone outside a mother giving birth to twins could experience such unbelievable agony. After enduring the impossible--you know--the frightening wait in the ER not knowing what was going on, they finally gave me the good news.

"You were hours away from being dead." No joke. Not exactly my favorite memory. I was told that I needed emergency surgery cuz my appendix had burst. I was a mess inside and felt like it.

Since I'm here writing this you've probably gathered I made it thru.

And I have to say that as horrible as everything was (go ahead...YOU try sucking gourmet hospital food thru an IV or getting pain meds from Nazi Nurse), I had what I would term a "religious experience." Don't be afraid, I'm not a religious nut and it was actually pretty cool.

What I discovered was how precious life was and how little time we all have to live out our dreams.

Whatever that looks like for you, do you really know how much time you have to GET IT DONE? Probably not.

I know it was a huge wake-up call for me and as weird as this sounds, I'm glad it happened. I wouldn't have gotten back on track if it didn't.