healthy lifestyle Archives - CONSIDER THIS with Annette Petrick

Backstory

One of our favorite weekend pastimes out here in the country was attending auctions. They were often held right out on the farm under tents. The air reverberated with excitement as the bids rang out. This is the story of one of them.

The Lyrical Book

We were at an auction, and my guy was intrigued by a book to be sold that day. It was written in 1812, and he found the verse to be lyrical.

My guy is an engineer and more often drawn to the practical or the scientific, than the lyrical. I was intrigued that he was so mesmerized by this huge, leather-bound book. It had obviously been treasured by its readers for the last two centuries. So I went over and started reading the ancient words. They were indeed lyrical.

I wondered how long it took him to write this book of over 800 pages, 200 years ago, without the benefit of a keyboard or spell check or one-click Thesaurus. His prose had a lilt, an elegance. He expressed deep personal emotions as well as observations. He used such colorful descriptions of everyday events or objects that they seemed to take on new prisms of meaning or lead to concepts newly conceived.

I have rarely seen my guy so excited about an auction item. When it came time to bid, he did so carefully and often. And in the end, he was the proud new owner of that book.

It’s about half-read now, and it’s a joy to see my practical engineer creep off into a quiet, well-lit corner with his great big book, to enjoy his lyrical journey to the place where fantasy collides with reality.

P.S. We miss the old days of on-site auctions where neighbors stood side-by-side in friendly competition that could get heated over an old railroad tie or a dusty piece of pottery. Today’s online auctions miss the whole essence of the event. It’s convenient and efficient. It’s as wrong as choosing time on your phone over beer with the boys.

[Show #434]

Backstory

As they sought to save us from the ravages of Covid 19, modern medicine invested in treating the disease. That’s what you do. I keep wondering how we could have done better. Then I learned about preventive medicine and a light went off.

Prevent or Treat?

Take responsibility for your body! It’s today’s message from the medical community. Rather than waiting until something happens and then treating it, the idea is to make changes that will prevent illness or disease. The concept is changing the future for today’s young people. And folks of every age can benefit from it.

For the last hundred years, doctors have had the responsibility of treating the sick. Today, they’re trying to work with their patients to prevent them from getting sick in the first place. What a concept!

Now, as never before, we have so much information on staying healthy that we cannot ignore the facts. Admit it, we know what should be done. We just don’t want to get out there and do it. But we all have to start making the right choices.

Educate yourself of the ways to diet and exercise. Smoking, drinking and stress all affect your health. Make the necessary corrections to improve your choices. Recognize that so much of declining health is not given to you, you give it to yourself by the way you eat, think, smoke, or sit still.

Decide today not to be a victim. Start practicing preventive medicine rather than seeking remedies later. Take responsibility for your own health and well-being. It could pay off for more good days with those you love.

P.S.

As we reset into post-pandemic mode, let’s create the mind-set of prevention rather than treatment with a whole new set of personal health standards.

[Show #545]