No Guarantees

Last Friday I heard that a friend from a church that I used to go to was, the previous Monday, suddenly stricken with a very serious medical condition and is even now in a Spokane hospital. Praise be to God that he is improving with each passing day and thanks to modern technology and a wonderful site called Caring Bridge we who know and love him are able to keep updated on his condition without pestering his family members without a zillion calls to their cell phones.

Stuff like this always makes me stop and think about how fragile our lives really are. This is a guy who is an athletic, fit, man about my age here he is in the hospital through no fault of his own. Something just went wrong in his body. It happens. And when it happens to someone you know and care about you can't help thinking, "There are no guarantees. We are not promised a tomorrow in this world." It sobers me.

It also makes me think of my friends who choose not to take care of their bodies. I pray for them and ask that God would help them see how important it is to not take this life, this one body they've been given, for granted. It can all be taken in a moment, whether it's a growth in your brain, cardiac arrest, diabetic coma, or cancer or any of a number of other maladies. There are simply no guarantees, but we can increase our odds of survival or recovery by taking steps, even baby steps, to choose healthier lifestyles.

My friend in Spokane has a better chance of recovering precisely because he had good muscle tone and was pretty fit...it makes his physical rehab shorter than a non-fit person.

I'm sorry if I'm sounding preachy and stepping on toes here, but as I approach (rapidly) my 50th birthday I'm more determined than ever to reduce my risks of chronic disease by choosing to eat better, exercise more regularly and lead an active life. It just feels better. I'm not a perfect picture of healthy living, and I don't think you have to be obsessive about it, but I am really loving the progress I'm making. And it's about progress, not perfection. There may not be any guarantees about my medical future, but there are certainly benefits to choosing active instead of sedentary, and healthy food instead of fat- and sugar-filled food.

I love you guys. Choose health!