Around Town: Keeping your heart happy all month long

I woke up Friday morning, made it to the gym, had a great workout and was ready to begin my day when something was pointed out to me.

I realized I forgot to wear red on what was annual National Wear Red Day – the day to raise awareness about heart disease. It is always the first Friday in February, which is American Heart Month.

There I stood in a blue pattern button-down, dark jeans and a black bubble jacket.

Oops. I forgot, even though I was reminded by several people on Thursday and through media reports.

When I was younger, I surely would have rushed home, changed my attire and made sure I was the picture of red perfection, because I’d never want to let others perceive that I didn’t care about the day.

In this situation, I took a step back and thought about the day and what it’s about: raising awareness about heart disease, checking your heart health and doing things that make your heart happy.

So what if I forgot to wear red?

I’ve had my heart checked regularly over the years since there’s a history of heart disease in my family, and two years ago I participated in the American Heart Association’s Real Men Wear Pink campaign.

I also try to do things throughout the month – and regularly throughout the year – that bring heart happiness to me and others.

Some things coming up that are sure to make the heart happy:

• NEPA Sings: Auditions for the third-annual singing contest happened yesterday, and those of us involved in the event planning were blown away by the talent in Northeastern Pennsylvania that showed up to try out. The show on April 2, 2020, which is a fundraiser for CASA of Luzerne County, is going to be captivating and mesmerizing. Tickets will go on sale soon at luzernecasa.org.

• Junior Achievement teaching: I’m preparing to teach a first-grade class locally using the JA curriculum that introduces youngsters to financial literacy skills and entrepreneurship from an early age. These skills are so valuable and are important to be introduced to early. The organization works mostly using volunteers, so if you’d like to consider volunteering or learning more, you can visit nepa.ja.org. Prepare to be inspired.

• Best of Times Leader: Voting ends on Feb. 12, and I’m always in awe of how many amazing businesses we have locally – and how many thousands of people flock to timesleader.com to vote for their favorites. Of course, the most popular places sometimes win, but these business owners and employees put so much time into their chosen disciplines that they deserve the recognition the contest brings to the winners. Seeing the community passionate about places they love locally, makes the heart happy. Remember to vote at timesleader.com/2020readerschoice.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea: we can find activities or events that make the heart happy and engage with them in full force.

Wearing red during National Heart Month is great, but so is making a list of all those things that contribute to your own happy heart and embracing those.

Hopefully it will make you feel healthy all year long.