One of the things I am most thankful for in life is my heartbeat. I know, it might sound strange, but I have truly learned to be thankful for my heartbeat whenever I can feel it in my chest, neck or wrists. Why you ask? I guess because in all my years of being a physician, I have come to equate the heartbeat as the primary sign of life.

We've all heard that our heartbeat is the sign that we are still alive and well. And that is very true. After all, the heart is the center of our life and that organ that keeps everything else working, so it makes sense that the heartbeat is our sign that life is still flowing through our veins.

Even more symbolically, however, a heartbeat has come to signify to me that I am still having the chance of living and experiencing life. Not just physically, but I've learned that my heartbeat is the symbol that I am alive and still able to be in relationships with people, to do the things I love, and to be a source of bringing good and healing in the world.

Think for a few moments about all of the great things you can do because you have a heartbeat, or because you are living. Think about the way you can enjoy a long day at a beautiful beach or about the way you can cook a fabulous dinner to enjoy with friends. Consider how your heartbeat allows you to spend special moments reading to your children in the evenings or taking a long walk with your dog in the morning. Having a heartbeat is a symbol that life goes on and that all will be well.

If you are truly becoming thankful for your heartbeat, as I hope you are, then you should consider seriously ways to make your heartbeat stronger by really caring for your health and wellness. For example, get outside and get your heartbeat pumping a little faster. Take a brisk walk or a jog and see how good it feels to exercise your heart. And really watch what you are putting into your body. Making wise health and fitness choices is the best thing you can do for your life, and hence for your heartbeat.

I love encouraging my patients to be aware of their heartbeat and to show that they are grateful for life by choosing to live well. So enjoy your heartbeat and be inspired to enjoy your life as well.