In Sickness and Health

Rest.

The enormity of the task of taking care of oneself is astonishing.  The world is riddled with opportunity for indulgence and bad behavior but sorely lacking in instant gratification for the making of good choices.  It seems that many if not most of us wait until some kind of crisis, either in our own lives of in those of a loved one, to make fundamental changes to our way of life.  I consider this a kind of health and lifestyle rock bottom, in which none of us knows how bad it really has to get before we decide to change our behaviors.  For some of us, an annual checkup revealing high blood pressure is enough to cut back on salt or those long overtime days.  For others, we need to gain 150 pounds or be put on oxygen before we budge from our norms.  In this respect, I hope for the wisdom to make good choices long before the warning bells and whistles begin to sound.  I want a long life for I have many things to do.

Whatever it is, that thing you do that is no good for you at all, put it down and walk away.

The leading causes of death in the U.S. according to the CDC:

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm

Photograph Courtesy of:

http://www.123rf.com/photo_15689865_illustration-of-grim-reaper-silhouette-standing-in-a-doorway.html