08 March 2010

Sticks and Stones

Words will never harm me!  What a beautiful weekend it was and I was surprised with extra opportunities to spend time with friends, talking and laughing about all sorts of stuff that go on in our lives.  One person, in particular, confessed to me that he did not get a lot of sleep and that he was very concerned about his health.  His list of issues were quite troubling and I tried to understand why he did not prioritize his health. 

He started asking me bunches of questions about myself and what I do,  and when I told him about how I exercise almost everyday no matter what, and how I tried to managed a mostly healthy nutritional lifestyle, he immediately blurted out, "oh, you are obsessed!"  From there he also added that people like me look at people like him and criticize what they are doing/eating.  

I can admit that unless I am summoned for my opinion, I do not pass judgment on other people's indulgences, or lack thereof!  Let's remember, with this fellow, he voluntarily shared his issues with me, I did not insist on this information.  With that, I somewhat took it as a cry for help or he was desperate for a little attention.   

In the past, I probably would have been offended by such an assault, but I realized a few things, (a) it was not his fault that he misused the English language because many folks do on a daily basis, and (b) he was admitted he was living an unhealthy lifestyle and was seemingly clueless about how to change.  Throughout the discussion, though he was a nice person, he oozed of great discomfort. 

I did not preach to him, nor did I tell him what he should be doing, however, I did impress upon him that no matter what is going on in his life (which was challenging to say the least) he should realize that his needs should be met first.    The only reason why I jumped to that conclusion is because of what he said to me.  He initially bragged that he did not get much sleep, and then added that he is constantly afflicted with thoughts about what is going on in his life, stuff that has happened over the years and the fact that major health issues run in his family.  He is scared.

Worry will get you no where but into a very unhealthy state of being, physically and mentally.   Addressing your health does indeed empower you to, at the very least, have some sort of control over the way you feel which in turn affects how you think.  If you have one less thing to worry about (something as major as your health), you are better able to function in other aspects of your life.  I felt very sad for him, and I gently suggested to him that he take some small steps to make some changes and see how he feels.  I hope he will and over time I can just imagine that he will enjoy the good feeling!

Obsessed?  Gosh, what a compliment!!!  Exercising daily to show great love to the body that God has blessed me with, and then eating foods that God has blessed this earth with -- seems like a balanced, sensible obsession to me! 

For anyone out there who crumbles under the attack of "name calling" when you are invested in a well-balanced health program, I beg you to brush off those sticks and stones and press ahead with taking care of you! 

1 comment:

Babzilicious said...

Jacquie, I happily join you in your "obsession" - doing Yoga 3-4 times a week and trying to find ways of including even more exercise to the point where I do it every day!