Dying to Live

My wife and I have gone through our share of health issues for the past few months, she more than me. I think I’ve grown immensely over the time period, because I was forced to break out of my bubble of invincibility.

You see, I’ve always been a pretty healthy fellow. I would get the flu (though sometimes too often), but that aside I have never had any major health issues. I can’t recall ever having any condition that one could consider ‘serious’. While being that charmed was a blessing, it was also a big curse (which I’m only recently learning) because it means that I was completely ill-equip to deal with major health issues.

That said, when my wife got ill, I was thrown for a loop. And when I got ill, it made matters worse. I’m not forced to come to terms with how sensitive the human body truly is, and how much your lifestyle can creep up on you in a negative way when you least expect it.

I find myself now a lot more conscious of everything I do and don’t do… Should I be eating this? Should I be eating this again? Don’t I need to have a jog? Should I subject my food to a microwave? What is my cell phone doing to my brain? All the things that were just months ago a routine part of my life have now earned priority… And while I have yet to truly adjust my life to accommodate my concerns, I am a lot more cognizant of my actions.

That said, I love my junk food. I’m physically inactive. I need my drinks really sweet. But what am I doing to myself by continuing to feed my cravings? If you think about it, the way you live is motivated by one major factor – the need to keep living. But how much are you prepared to not live so that you can keep living. One thing’s for sure – nobody can answer that question for me but me.

What’s particularly disturbing to me is that your body can do things that not even lifestyle can explain. There are too maybe diseases and illnesses out there, and the causes of many are unknown. Isn’t it just frustrating to know that even with the strictest lifestyle you can still get hit out of left field? That said, common sense still dictates that they healthier you are, the fewer things you’re vulnerable to. Let’s hope I can make that transition to a more healthy life.