You Only Have One Life, So Make the Best of Your Time and Health
Jodi Davis
| 4 min read
Getting older is something we absolutely cannot avoid. There is only one alternative and I’m not wanting to be there anytime soon. Why, then, do I wish that I wasn’t actually getting older? Maybe it has something to do with that ole’ bathroom mirror that continuously reminds me that I’m not as young as I want to be. When I notice a grey hair or a line near my eye that wasn’t there yesterday, well… let’s just say it isn’t something to celebrate.
But today I don’t have a choice as I will be celebrating one more year of my life! My kids reminded me of it this morning as they repeated my “new” age a few times too many while I was trying to enjoy my morning coffee. Oh those lovely, sweet children of mine.
I informed them that I still have my memory and that I promise not to forget my new age, so please stop repeating it. Then my son made a comment that really made me think:
“Mom, in 10 years you’ll wish you were this age.”
You know, he’s right.
No Regrets
Ten years from today I may just want to be my current age, but I’ll just have to accept the “mature person” that I’ll be in 2021. One thing is for sure: I am going to do everything possible so I can look back at those 10 years and say “I’m glad I did!” instead of, “I wish I would have.” Honestly, I can declare that now.
I can look back at the last 10 years and know that I lived a very healthy lifestyle; in fact, in May of 2002 I hit my goal weight and I’m still there. I don’t wish that I would have done anything differently — I’m glad I changed my lifestyle by eating healthier and making sure to walk every single day. I’m also happy to know that I focused many of those years on helping others to do the same!
There are too many people out there who continue to complain but don’t do anything to change the things in their life that upset them. For 25 years I was among them, but that sure ended. My weight was the “thing” that upset me and as each birthday passed, I would look back at the past year and wish I would have done things differently. I complained but I didn’t change the things I needed to. Instead, I would just make another one of my annual birthday wishes to lose weight.
Success didn’t come with any of those yearly wishes.
Don’t Blink
My success began with something else: appreciating life and grasping the fact that we only are given one.
A long and healthy life is all any of us want, and being morbidly obese wasn’t going to allow that to happen for me. It was ironic that today, I heard the song that has continued to remind me of that. The song played earlier on my radio at the same moment I was contemplating my age this birthday morning. Kenny Chesney’s song “Don’t Blink” came on and then… the line that gets me every time:
“Cause when your hourglass runs out of sand / You can’t flip it over and start again.”
Getting older. It’s happening to every single one of us. The sand will fall a little each day. Eventually, it will entirely run out.
I am doing all that I can to keep that sand from falling too quickly. Please tell me that you currently are or will begin to do the same by taking care of your health.
In fact, my birthday wish is that you look back at your life and know that you took the ultimate care of your health, which will allow you to say: “I’m glad I did” instead of “I wish I would have…”
And so, with that, I will celebrate my new age today and continue to have fun in this one life of mine. Maybe I’ll even walk in the sand. It’s going to fall anyways, so I might as well enjoy each step I take in it! Woooo-hooo! J •
Visit A Healthier Michigan on flickr.
