I recently had the pleasure of driving across our beautiful Washington state’s Snoqualmie mountain pass on a sunny afternoon.

A couple of trees were starting to turn to red and gold, but mostly the pine, cedar, fir, alder and aspen trees stood by in clumps showing the passing cars their many shades of color — yes, green. And with the sun shining on all of this splendor, it seemed to me I was seeing it for the first time. Really seeing it and seeing at least 50 shades of green.

These last few months I’ve had some health issues and it’s made me more aware of life around me. Everything seems brighter and prettier and just better. I think after you’ve had a health scare, this probably happens to everyone, but no one talks about it. And no one seems to talk about how much a good healthcare team can help with a speedy recovery.

My team consists of my doctor, a pharmacist, a physician’s assistant, and a practical nurse. And let me explain it further. In my team, there are three pharmacists that are available so if one is off or not available, there is always one up to speed about my issues and ready to help. The same with the physician’s assistant and practical nurse — they all have back-ups so I’m covered whenever I need them. Not impressed yet? More details coming.

The pharmacist calls me to check on my progress. The PA also calls me to see if all is well, if I got my meds, checking to see if I understand the dosage, if there are any problems she can help with. Yes, that’s right: They call me. How good do I feel knowing they have my back?

You notice I’m not mentioning names or the name of my health care, but I’ll tell you if you want to know … just email me.

I am feeling better and just this last week I started getting back to my old energy level, so all is better than it has been, and I just need to go a little bit further in this healing process and I’ll be back to normal (whatever that is). Back to teaching, back to exercise classes, back to playing Bridge, back to writing.

Yes, life is good.

— Contact Donna Lee Anderson at WellToldTales@aol.com.