I've never suffered from a debilitating disease, and believe me, I'm very grateful of that fact.  Any one of us could contract such a disease at any time, and I always appreciate my good health.  I can walk, run, use a keyboard, do pretty much anything I want to at any time, and I believe it's important that we're always thankful for such abilities when we have them.  On the other hand, I've read many articles and I've seen many web sites by and about people with horrible diseases who say, over and over again, "get everything you can out of life--you don't know when it will end."  They're not wallowing in self-pity; they're trying to encourage others to enjoy life.  The difference between them and many of us is perspective--they've learned to appreciate life, while most of us take it for granted.

The most difficult problem to overcome, in my eyes, is the person who doesn't take care of his or her own health.  We are given an absolutely fabulous machine to take us through this journey called life, a body that can do so many things that it's almost scary.  When I think of the billions of components that make up my body, the constant functioning of the neurons and synapses and muscles and tendons and lungs and heart and other organs, I'm astonished at the beauty and complexity of our bodies.  And  I do think about such things often.  I find that the more I keep myself conscious of such things, the more beautiful my life is.

But so many of us take this machine for granted.  We abuse it, we treat it badly, we don't give it what it needs, we give it too much of things we want.  We run it too long without rest, we don't give it enough exercise, we ignore the many warning signals it gives us.  It's an absolutely unbelievable gift, yet we treat it as something we bought as an afterthought in a dollar store.

We could get into a great discussion of psychoanalytical discussion as to why people do such things to their bodies, but I think it's much more important to look at why we shouldn't.  The benefits of not smoking have been strongly and consistently documented, yet millions of people continue to smoke.  They aren't taking care of the beautiful body they've been giving--in fact, they're consistently filling it with carcinogens and other poisons.  Can they be living life fully if they're treating their bodies this way?  Many smokers would tell you yes, they are getting the most out of life, but I have to say that I'd tell you differently--they're not.  And I tell you this from experience, having grown up around many smokers.  They go through mood swings and withdrawal symptoms many times a day because of their addiction, and most of them don't even realize it.  They don't realize that they treat other people differently at different times of the day, depending on when they had their last cigarette.  Smokers with children are sabotaging their own children's future health, and conveniently ignoring that fact.  They constantly face a need that can be fulfilled only by lighting up a stick of tobacco--they need the outside stimulus to maintain their equilibrium, and they're completely unable to face life by themselves, on their own terms, without outside help.  You can't be living life fully if you depend on burning a plant and inhaling the fumes for your stability.

Then there are those who don't take care of their bodies either by not exercising enough or by overeating, or usually a combination of the two.  I've spoken in depth with many people who fall into both categories, and I've yet to find a person who feels satisfied with him or herself--there's always something they want to change, and once they make that change, then they'll be happy.  They're not living fully in this moment--they're waiting for that undefined moment in the future when things will change and everything will be fine.  Others don't eat enough, abusing their bodies in an effort to be as thin as possible, their health be damned.  Others work too much, eating a very poor combination of foods that sabotage their entire system with too much fat or sugar or cholesterol. 

This isn't an effort to point fingers or attack people who mistreat their bodies, but more an effort to reframe what's going on.  If someone wants to smoke, that's their business, and they have every right to do so.  But they must be aware of what they're doing to this beautiful gift they've been given, and they must be aware that as long as they smoke, they won't be living life to the fullest possible extent.  They face far too many limitations--caused by the cigarettes--to be able to get the most out of all that life has to offer.  The overweight person won't be able to climb the mountain and see the view from the mountaintop, nor will the drug user.  The underweight person won't have nearly enough energy to do many of the things they'd be able to do if they ate a diet that was sufficient for their energy needs.  Nobody has to be perfect--but it's important that we keep our gift in the best condition for our needs as possible. 

You have a wonderful machine as a body that can do things that we don't even notice, but that make life a beautiful experience.  Keep it healthy; treat it well.  Healthy people have a stronger sense of self, and have higher self-esteem.  As a result, they treat others differently, and they face challenges with more confidence and hope for positive outcomes.  You are a beautiful gift to the rest of us, and we want you to be happy and fulfilled, and we want you to be able to do whatever you wish to do, without the artificial restraints of an unhealthy body.

Whenever I begin neglecting my health (and believe me, I do), I just have to read an article by someone with a chronic disease or see a person in a wheelchair who will never enjoy the thrill of running on a chilly spring morning to make me realize that I'm not doing what I should with my gift.  How are you treating the gift that you've been given?

Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will
sooner or later have to find time for illness.

Edward Stanley