I knew a lovely, kind, brilliant, creative man named Erick. He dedicated his life to advocating for and helping educators. He mentored me in my work for the teachers union and was a dear friend. He was also an incredibly gifted sculptor. Erick was many things, and I admired him so much. He knew how to be competent and passionate about his work, and then leave his work behind at the end of the day and be present and passionate in his life. He and his lovely wife had an amazing home and tons of friends. I really loved Erick. He loved life and devoured it with all his senses. Erick wanted to have a good time even if it killed him, and it did. He smoked all day long and ate the same fattening meal at the Dog and Duck Pub every day. And at 62, he dropped dead of a heart attack.
I truly don't know what caused his heart attack, but I'm guessing the burgers, smokes and beers on the weekend didn't help. And I can't help but be a little mad at him for not treating his body better. He robbed us all - especially his wife Raychelle - of many more years of his talents and joyful spirit. He had planned to retire this year. I'm wondering if he had it to do over again, would he make different choices? Would he pull a Bill Clinton and turn vegan? Sadly, he doesn't get to do it over - at least not in this lifetime. But we still get to make the good choices. We still get to decide to give ourselves and our loved ones the gift of a few more years on this planet to discover all the beautiful things we have yet to discover. (I know. We could die in a car accident or a flood, but let's control what we can. See my post on Fear.)
Ok, so we all know what we're *supposed* to do: eat healthy, exercise, meditate, avoid drugs and alcohol, minimize stress. It's so much easier to sit on the couch eating chips, drinking beer and watching TV, though! You know why? Habit. It's all just habit. My friends who love to ride their bikes, hike, jog, do yoga, teach P90X, etc.; they don't think it's easier to sit around. They prefer to move. They're in the habit of moving. I'm in the habit of practicing tai chi and/or meditation every day. I started these in my mid and late 30s. People who don't eat meat (I'm one of those too!), don't eat sweets (I'm NOT one of those!), cook their own meals from fresh ingredients every day (I'm trying to be one of those), etc.; most of them don't think about it. It's just habit. If you're not one of those people, you have to decide to CREATE the habit is the thing. And further, you have to REPLACE the bad habits with the good ones. It's too hard to say, "I'll just quit." You have to replace the smoking with something else. And often you need support from other people. That's what 12 step groups and Weight Watchers meetings are for: cheerleaders, motivators, people with ideas and experience. I would be a broken person if it weren't for my support network. And I'd probably be a thinner person if I'd start going to the darn Weight Watchers meetings! We do what can. As they say in recovery: Progress not perfection. But that's a topic for another post.
Want to change your habits? Did you know you can reprogram the chemistry in your brain in two weeks? In three months, you can measure life expectancy changes. And in three years, you get 90% of the benefit you will get from living healthy. I have all this on good authority - Dr. Oz - so it's gold, baby. This means that if you've been overweight all your life, it's not too late to change! You've been a smoker for 20 years. It's not too late to change! You know you shouldn't be drinking every day, but you do anyway. It's not too late to change! You're stressed out all the time, but it's just how you are. It's not too late to change! You wish you made time for your family and yourself, but it's just not the way your life is. It's not too late to change! Are you still alive? Then it's NOT TOO LATE TO CHANGE! That's the good news. YAY! The the not-so-good news . . . you need to decide to change.
Dedicated to Erick . . .
