Last week, I wished you a
week of choosing health as your number one priority for the rest of your
life! This was my challenge to you. What did YOU choose? Congratulations if you chose health!! My hope for you is that if you are still
“waffling” making any kind of commitment, then this week’s blog may give you
more “food for thought” to choose health.
Although I watch as
little TV as possible, except for sports, I couldn’t escape the horrific
pictures of the refugees running for their lives with their families. Young
children, pregnant women, fathers who knew they must leave their country, their
homes, EVERYTHING in order to survive. These refugees are making the toughest
of choices. It’s their lives. They are
willing to do whatever it takes. It’s
not their choice, it’s not because they have done anything wrong, it’s the
choice of others to not respect the lives of people in their country forcing
the innocent to flee for their lives.
In addition, this past
week, I have learned of a close family member who was recently diagnosed with
breast cancer, and I went to a memorial service for a 30 year old young woman
and granddaughter of friends. It’s other
family members now who are having to deal with the repercussions of what’s
happening around them. It’s the fear of
a husband and a son. It’s the sadness of
a grandparent who’s not only lost a grandchild but also now watching their
child deal with the death of their child.
It’s not my intent to
compare what is happening with the refugees to what is happening to my family
and friends. But what is common is the
sadness, the fear of the unknown, the courage to go on, and the challenge to
move ahead despite all the adversity.
Why is it that it seems to take extremes and adversity for us to realize
that life is short, precious, and we never know when life will change? For those of us living in America, we take
our freedoms for granted. Admittedly, we have a lot to change and do differently;
however, we do have so much to be thankful for.
Unlike the refugees, we
have a choice. We can choose health and
wellness, we can choose health experts to deal with the cancer, we can choose
our own faith and spirituality to deal with the loss of a loved one. All of these are choices and opportunities
that help and support us as we move forward. The various religious beliefs and
opportunities to pursue those beliefs are available. The medical communities whether it be
conventional Western medicine, holistic, naturopathic, or a combination of
approaches are all available to us. For
these things, I am grateful!
Are you a smoker? Do you have issues with drugs and
alcohol? Are you overweight? Do you watch more than 4 hours of TV daily? Do you find yourself unable to do much of
anything physical either because you’re overweight, you’re tired, or both? If
you answered yes to any of these questions, the next questions are...Are you
married? Do you have a
spouse/significant other? Do you have children? Do you have a job? Do you have
friends?
If you answered yes to
any of these questions then WHY
HAVEN’T YOU QUIT SMOKING, DRINKING, TAKING DRUGS? WHY haven’t you lost those extra 10, 20, 100+ pounds? WHY
haven’t you committed to walking daily for at least 20 minutes until you can do
more? WHY haven’t you committed to cutting out sugar and junk food? I know, I know, you’ve tried before, and it
didn’t work. It’s hard etc. etc. EXCUSES, EXCUSES, EXCUSES!
I would tell you that the
real reason is you’re being lazy and selfish. WOW! How’s that for putting it on
the table? If you have a
spouse/significant other, children and people that count on you and love you,
then if they truly were important, then you would NOT have ANY excuses. You would do whatever it takes to be
healthy! You would not be satisfied
until you are 100% free of the addictions, the extra weight, the lack of energy
due to inactivity etc. And if you were unsuccessful with previous tries, you’ll
try again. You’ll find a different
support group, a different approach…you will NEVER quit trying to get out of
the addictive behavior.
The refugees fleeing for
their lives are willing to do whatever it takes to reach their freedom despite
all the dangers. My family member now
facing cancer will do and is doing whatever it takes to get cancer free and healthy
once again. The death of a loved one,
especially one so young, is a daily struggle, however, this family will rely on
their faith and are looking for ways to make a difference in others’ lives so
her death is not in vain.
My challenge to you is
that you take a good look at your health…no more procrastinating! No more excuses! If you can’t do it for
yourself, originally, do it for the ones you love. Eventually, you will have to
come to terms with the fact that you ARE important to others, you ARE loved, you
ARE a special person in God’s eyes.
If you are taking care of
yourself, then your commitment is to continue doing what you’re doing. No
matter where you are on the continuum of health, I will be there to support you
in any way I can. All you need to do is let me know you need help.
I wish you a week of
committing to change something in your health.
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