A welcome inheritance

In our conversations, as I express a preference or interest, my mother loves to wonder aloud, "Who did you get that from?"  If I drink a lot of water, "who gave you that?".  If I am interested in genealogy or like history, she debates the originator of that gift, as if I had no input.  I am an artist, and she likes to know that, like her, I am creative. When I am optimistic, I am my dad.  And on and on.

It has been rather irritating, honestly.  I haven't had particularly warm-and-fuzzy memories of my difficult childhood.  And, having left home at 17 and made very very different choices than did my parents, I consider myself to be very much my own person. As I've moved beyond anger and bitterness at my past, and come to peace with my mother, I'm somewhat less resentful of her having to ascribe every morsel of my existence to something SHE (or my father) gave me.  But clearly, yes, it still carries some sparks. 

However, recent medical issues have made me grateful for one thing - a (mostly) very healthy heart, much like my mother's.  

The issues I've had have to do with some recently-discovered electrical issues - episodes of tachycardia, atrial flutter or AVNRT.  My mother has atrial fibrillation, very related. Both conditions represent a short-circuit, with potential complications but easily survivable, and can be cured with a procedure that is scary to me, but is quite common (an ablation, a 'zapping' of the short-circuit area).  

But the really excellent news, the wonderful inheritance, is that I apparently have a very very healthy heart (other than the electrical problem), in spite of my very inadequate care of my health.  I am overweight and diabetic, and have had cholesterol problems before I found the right medicine.  I have been fearing heart problems with every twinge in my chest or arms, since my father had heart disease (and my brother and my husband...).  Yet, I have excellent results on an recent extensive workup - very good pumping (ejection fraction much better than normal), no plaque from the cholesterol (calcium score of zero).  I can now fix my wiring and hope for a long life. What a relief. 

My mother has so far lived until 90, and her own father lived until 92.  I think I inherited her heart - both the electrical problems and the strength of it.  Finally, I can clearly and openly say, Thanks, Mom.  I got that from you.