comes a time

i started to muse on my own mortality yesterday afternoon when a sudden pain surged in my chest, leaving me inexplicably unable to breathe deeply. i didn't know what a heart attack felt like, but i considered that i was suffering from one at the age of 23. my roommate drove me over to the university health center, where i explained my condition, along with the family history of heart complications, to a nice doctor. all heart signs looked fine--they even gave me an ekg--and she diagnosed me with some sort of acid reflux disorder. she said that the best part of my outlook is that i do not smoke. the prescription: a few pills that won't work right away and a change in diet. i could not sleep last night, however, and sat upright on the edge of my bed shortly after 6am, my airways constricted, cursing, clutching the left part of my chest, and musing once again. indeed, the pills were not working yet. my temporary condition has forced me to postpone my plans to drive home this weekend with what would have been friendly stops in chicago and milwaukee along the way. this afternoon i bought a neil young record, "comes a time," to try and help expedite the recuperation process.