Gentle Reader,
Ever stop to question why we work so hard to keep ourselves healthy and active?
Obviously the main reason is to avoid the pain that comes from neglected arthritis. That knee pain, back pain, fingers and that thumb that got dislocated skiing years ago, and the old ankle fracture just get cranky if they aren’t tended to with a good diet and stretches, supplements and all the self-care practices we have learned and continue to learn. So we do this work to make ourselves happy and comfortable, even if you have the diagnosis of osteoarthritis or spinal stenosis.
I did have a sad and troubling thought the other day having to do with the people I love and care about who do not take care to keep themselves healthy and active. I have this thought that I will use my last quarter century sitting with people as they suffer and die, some before their time.
I have already lost two husbands to cancer. Neither of them shared my fervor for the kind of moderation I require (not speaking for others here) in sugar, alcohol, fat and refined flour consumption. Increasingly I notice friends and family eating or drinking or medicating in ways that may not lead to the best of health.
Then I notice that in this moment they are doing OK and are not searching for different answers to their problems with sore feet, aching hips, hands that don’t hold the driver or tennis racket without discomfort. I might say something like, “It must make you discouraged to have a hard time sitting in the theater when your back gets so tight and uncomfortable. I remember taking a special pillow everywhere when my pain was acute.” (I still fold up a jacket and place it behind my back to avoid that pain.)
I might say that I found some ways to keep that from happening to me that I could share, if they were interested. But only if they don’t know already that this is my passion in life and work and that I earn my living at it, sharing information for free and selling the supplements that I have found helpful.
Could it be that the second reason I work so hard to stay healthy and active is precisely so I can be around to give comfort without blame, unconditional comfort to those I care about. Those pesky thoughts still come up about how they might do their life differently and avoid all that pain and suffering. I get better at noticing “there’s that thought again,” and letting the judgment go. It seems to take daily practice. Staying out of other people’s business and loving them where they are.
Can you be a Health Nut with no judgment? Yep, you can. 
Can you imagine how much fun it is when you find someone who is just as nutty as you are about all this prevention stuff, two heads together sharing information? So I just put it out there and if it’s right, it’s golden. If it’s not right, it’s golden, too.
Fondly,
Be Well, Do Well, Keep Moving
Betsy
Injured at 52. Diagnosed and sentenced to a wheel chair at 55. Hiking, skiing, dancing and walking at 75. Read my story.
206 933 1889 betsy@HiHoHealth.com www.GrandmaBetsyBell.com