{"id":518516,"date":"2025-05-21T08:21:47","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T15:21:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/?p=518516"},"modified":"2026-04-21T19:48:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T02:48:51","slug":"embracing-my-new-normal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/embracing-my-new-normal\/","title":{"rendered":"Embracing My New Normal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Originally published on my Substack blog: <a href=\"https:\/\/JorgeDaries.Substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/JorgeDaries.Substack.com<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column519949_53360f-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column519949_53360f-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column519949_53360f-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column519949_53360f-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column519949_53360f-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column519949_53360f-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column519949_53360f-c6{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column519949_53360f-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column519949_53360f-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column519949_53360f-c6\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\"><style>.kb-row-layout-wrap.wp-block-kadence-rowlayout.kb-row-layout-id519949_c6bd52-8e{margin-top:0px;}.kb-row-layout-id519949_c6bd52-8e > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id519949_c6bd52-8e > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}.kb-row-layout-id519949_c6bd52-8e > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);max-width:472px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-md, 2rem);}.kb-row-layout-id519949_c6bd52-8e > .kt-row-column-wrap > div:not(.added-for-specificity){grid-column:initial;}.kb-row-layout-id519949_c6bd52-8e > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 6fr) minmax(0, 1fr);}.kb-row-layout-id519949_c6bd52-8e > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.27;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id519949_c6bd52-8e > .kt-row-column-wrap > div:not(.added-for-specificity){grid-column:initial;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id519949_c6bd52-8e > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 6fr) minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id519949_c6bd52-8e > .kt-row-column-wrap > div:not(.added-for-specificity){grid-column:initial;}.kb-row-layout-id519949_c6bd52-8e > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id519949_c6bd52-8e alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-3-columns kt-row-layout-center-exwide kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top\">\n<style>.kadence-column519949_719c54-98 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column519949_719c54-98 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column519949_719c54-98 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column519949_719c54-98 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column519949_719c54-98 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column519949_719c54-98 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column519949_719c54-98{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column519949_719c54-98 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column519949_719c54-98 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column519949_719c54-98\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column519949_2e6eef-db > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column519949_2e6eef-db > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column519949_2e6eef-db > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column519949_2e6eef-db > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column519949_2e6eef-db > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column519949_2e6eef-db > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column519949_2e6eef-db{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column519949_2e6eef-db > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column519949_2e6eef-db > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column519949_2e6eef-db\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading519949_fcc395-09, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading519949_fcc395-09[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading519949_fcc395-09\"]{text-align:right;font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading519949_fcc395-09 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading519949_fcc395-09[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading519949_fcc395-09\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading519949_fcc395-09 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading519949_fcc395-09[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading519949_fcc395-09\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<p class=\"kt-adv-heading519949_fcc395-09 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading519949_fcc395-09\">Part of my Series:  <a href=\"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/heart-and-health\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"518454\">Heart and Health<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column519949_cf423b-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column519949_cf423b-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column519949_cf423b-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column519949_cf423b-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column519949_cf423b-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column519949_cf423b-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column519949_cf423b-c7{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column519949_cf423b-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column519949_cf423b-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column519949_cf423b-c7\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/MendingHeart_v2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-518412\" style=\"width:54px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/MendingHeart_v2.png 1000w, https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/MendingHeart_v2-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/MendingHeart_v2-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/MendingHeart_v2-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A couple of weeks since my last progress report\u2026 Wow it&#8217;s been 6 weeks! It\u2019s incredible how much has changed in such a short time, and I\u2019m excited to share some updates with you! Spoiler alert: things are definitely better!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Started my Cardio Rehab Program<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First off, I\u2019m officially one week into my cardio rehab program, and wow, what a journey it\u2019s been! Those initial educational sessions felt a bit like a crash course in being kind to my heart. Physically, they started me slow, introducing me to the gym equipment\u2014think of me and the treadmill looking like an awkward two step dance \u2014but slowly but surely, I\u2019m getting the hang of it! There\u2019s something almost euphoric about breaking a bit of a sweat for 45 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve also kicked up my personal workouts a notch by walking twice a day. I am easily now at 3.5 miles a day (Dog is happy!) and I hope to re-engage in lap swimming again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Funny story: great group of people helping at the rehab sessions! One particular story to call out was the Stress Educational Session. The speaker had one slide: 3 visible stressed-out goldfish inside a plugged-in blender. She said they are worried about someone pressing the start key! \u2013 I laugh so hard. Good one!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Cardio Rehab Program is all about rebuilding your physical, mental and dietary confidence again and providing you with the tools you need to manage them all. Very interesting!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>First Solo Drive<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a small thing but an accomplishment, nevertheless. This past Sunday, I took my first solo drive trip into Phoenix to meet with my daughter and her boyfriend for a Flamenco Show. Not going to lie, I felt a hint of nerves driving alone, but once I was going, it was all good! \u2013 The small things you take for granted!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I realized how much I missed these little adventures and how vital they are for my soul. With all due respect to my amazing wife, I think it is independence that I miss a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>BTW &#8211; The show was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/authenticflamencoshow.com\/\">Authentic Flamenco<\/a>&nbsp;and it was amazing \u2013 we enjoyed the music and the dancing. VERY different and highly recommended. Five people 2 dancers, 2 singers and one guitarist! Loved it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Back to Work \u2013 It is time to Start!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just yesterday, my wife commented that I seem to be back to my old self with my return to my computer lifestyle, which she says is already a bit too much. (Been working on a new project \u2013 more below!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This weekend I celebrated my 15-year anniversary at the company I work for. So very grateful. It is an incredible company and people I work with, and it is crazy to think it\u2019s been that long, but I love what I do! Today I\u2019m heading back to work! Honestly, I\u2019m a little nervous, but more than anything, I\u2019m excited. This recovery has shown me that retirement is nowhere near on the horizon for me\u2014I still feel I have so much to do, especially as so many of us (companies and people) adopt Artificial Intelligence! Who knew a month of recovery could feel both refreshing and like a mini eternity? Let\u2019s just say my productivity has missed me! I can\u2019t wait to reconnect with my colleagues and jump back into the projects ahead. It\u2019s going to be a wonderful change of pace for both me and my wife, but all so different!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The One Challenge at Hand Still: Food and Blood Sugar<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am feeling so much better watching carefully what I eat. Eating clean quality food was not high on my radar. It is now 100% better (no more cookies for one!) After seeing what sugar and carbs do silently to my body, I do not want to go back there again. This is a positive challenge because now, I am having to watch for low blood sugar levels. I encourage you to look at this&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=da1vvigy5tQ&amp;t\">YouTube from the late Dr. Sarah Hallberg<\/a>&nbsp;from back 11 years ago. Everyone should read it<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My wife and I are learning a lot in the process! Testing what makes sugar go up and for how long, and also what it does not affect it. For example: If I eat brown rice alone, my sugar level goes up and stays up for a long time. Now if I combine the rice with black beans the sugar levels do not go high (just normally low) and they do not stay up! \u2013 Amazing, as I happen to love rice and beans!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It will take a while to adjust; it is definitely a journey. Although it is challenging, the good news is that I have reduced one of my meds already in half \u2013 YEAH!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A New Project: Tiny Story Time<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And in true Jorge fashion, I couldn\u2019t resist embracing my creative side while in this recovery journey. I\u2019ve launched a new Substack publication called&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/tinystorytime.substack.com\/\">Tiny Story Time<\/a>. It\u2019s a space where I\u2019ll be sharing short stories made for children ages 3-8 (with a little twist). Writing has always been a passion of mine, and this new project feels like the perfect outlet to channel my technology background and my writing passion. I\u2019m excited to tap into this and share that with you! Please let me know what you think!<br>I hope you\u2019ll check it out, join in and\/or share it with others!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a class=\"image-link image2\" href=\"https:\/\/tinystorytime.substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5df084b-4a81-4351-878a-3a9879456b9d_1344x256.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tinystorytime.substack.com\/\">Tiny Story Time for Children 3-8 | Jorge Pereira | Substack<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>.Looking back on the last 6 weeks, I&#8217;ve felt a whirlwind of emotions, from fear and uncertainty to gratitude and hope. It\u2019s amazing how resilience can blossom from the most unexpected places. I\u2019m surrounded by so much support from family, friends, and all of you reading this, and it\u2019s made all the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As always, I want to remind you to take care of your health and always keep an open conversation about it. Our lives can change in the blink of an eye, and I&#8217;m grateful to be on this journey of healing and growth. I share my diary and other stories here, but I also post on my website, jorgep.com, particularly the Heart and Health section, where I\u2019m sharing more detailed of my recovery experience and resources that could help you or someone you know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you for being part of this journey with me! Together, let\u2019s keep celebrating life, chasing dreams, and supporting each other! Hope you share some stories as well!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Good vibes to you all! Hope this helps a little! If you are new here, please subscribe &#8211; and if you are already a subscriber, THANK YOU.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Originally published on my Substack blog: https:\/\/JorgeDaries.Substack.com A couple of weeks since my last progress report\u2026 Wow it&#8217;s been 6 weeks! It\u2019s incredible how much has changed in such a short time, and I\u2019m excited to share some updates with you! Spoiler alert: things are definitely better! Started my Cardio Rehab Program First off, I\u2019m&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":518517,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[966,1022,615,972],"class_list":["post-518516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-journey","tag-heart","tag-journal","tag-personal-thoughts","tag-recovery"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":17,"label":"Journey"}],"post_tag":[{"value":966,"label":"heart"},{"value":1022,"label":"Journal"},{"value":615,"label":"Personal Thoughts"},{"value":972,"label":"recovery"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/FeaturedImage-EmbracingMyNewNormal.jpg",1000,375,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Jorge Pereira","author_link":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/author\/jorge\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":17,"name":"Journey","slug":"journey","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":18,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":318,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":17,"category_count":318,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Journey","category_nicename":"journey","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":966,"name":"heart","slug":"heart","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":976,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":9,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":1022,"name":"Journal","slug":"journal","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1032,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":19,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":615,"name":"Personal Thoughts","slug":"personal-thoughts","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":625,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":69,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":972,"name":"recovery","slug":"recovery","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":982,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":9,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=518516"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518516\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":519955,"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518516\/revisions\/519955"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/518517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=518516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=518516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=518516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}