On Being Healthy

On Friday, I wanted to leave work badly, but NOT because I was feeling extremely exhausted. The conversation in our office was negativity to it's extreme. My boss spoke of her eleven year old daughter having high blood pressure. A co-worker spoke of his bad back. Another always talks about her daughter's asthma or how her mother is going to die young. I have spoken up on many occasion as to how they can cure their maladies; Exercise and diet. However, when I address the importance of these two things, I am met with more negativity. My goal is to let it bypass me because I know it works.

I believe whole-heartedly that these two things will allow for healthy life and longevity. It disheartens me when a mother or father doesn't see much hope for his or her daughter's health. I think of the obstacles they will face when they are older and having to challenge illness that could be avoided if a healthy lifestyle is instilled in them from an early age.

I know people that don't exercise and say that it's because of a bad back or because they're knees are out of whack. Then I look at their lifestyles of excess smoking, excess drinking, drugs sometimes, unhealthy eating patterns. And then? I look at their kids, and think... you have no choice in this matter and for that I feel saddened. I would think that all parents would want a healthy child. I know these people love their children more than anything, but I don't understand why love doesn't take health into consideration. I don't have children and I am only an outside witness, but I hope I can make healthier decisions for my children if I ever have them. I want children that like to play outside, that want to play sports, that want to eat their green beans. I know, I know, I even hated green beans, but that's because I was raised on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cheetos. I think my parents did require us to eat vegetables, but my palette has always savored sweet and salty. It is a constant battle for me to maintain a healthy diet. I don't fault my parents at all for this because they were young and I was the first, so I was spoiled. I don't ever want to discourage my children from pursuing healthy activities.

I remember my sister Alexandra LOVING broccoli. Eating vegetables in our family when she was little became a natural regime and the awful taste was rewarded with praise. When I saw her eating these and not spitting it out, I decided to join in. To this day though, I don't necessarily like vegetables, but I am dedicated to eating them. I have taken these lessons learned as a child and tried to apply them to my diet now. I try, and often with great difficulty, to maintain a vegetarian lifestyle. But I think of the reward, not just praise from my parents, but my health. I want to live a life that is rich and free of avoidable diseases.

I pray for good health for everyone. I want my friend's children and their grandchildren to know them into their adult and senior lives. My life has been blessed because I know my parents and my grandparents. I want this for all people. I understand that sometimes life throws us unwanted diseases, such as cancer, but I think the vast majority of illness can be prevented.

This is the thirty-first year of my life. I have planned on remaining healthy and have dedicated the last three months to maintaining a positive attitude regarding my health. I have taken preventative measures in keeping illness at bay. I hope everyone in my life can do the same because I want to grow old with all of them.

The end.

Eiffel Tower Memories

Two and a half years ago, I turned my phone back on while I was still in Paris so I could communicate more easily with my sisters. As I stood under the Eiffel Tower one evening waiting for some friends, my phone rang suddenly. It was the first call I had had since leaving for Egypt earlier that summer. It was my "soul mate," (his words) asking me if I wanted to go to the movies later that week. Had a film crew surrounded me, I would have been in the best romantic film ever. I calmly answered him, yeah, next week when I get home. I was home for about 3 days and he called me again. He had forgotten about a Labor Day cookout he had to go to. He asked me if I would like to join him and then go see the movie afterwards. Unfortunately I had a falling out the previous year with the friends he was going to visit that afternoon. I politely declined and said we could watch it the next week. A week passed and I finally called him back to see if he was available. He said he really wanted to see me and then something made him catch his breath. I heard it and asked him what was up. I remember the conversation to the minute detail, "well, I thought that I should be the one to let you know, but I had sex with Katie that night." To be completely honest I wasn't surprised and I told him that. I said to him, "I had a feeling it would happen eventually." His answer was honest, "really?" "Yeah," I told him, "remember when we were dating and the thousands of times I asked you why you weren't with her?" He did and I told him, "it was bound to happen." I wasn't upset because their friendship had endured since High School, they had been lovers once before we became a couple. All his reassurances that I was his soul mate began to fade. We had had a tumultuous love affair that ended too soon. I think in both our minds we felt that we were leading ourselves back to one another, and this time for good.

I often find myself in the "what-ifs." What if I would have said screw everybody, I'm going to the cookout. I had wanted to avoid any drama that would have occurred and now I am definitely in the "what-ifs." Agent G and Katie posted today that they will be welcoming a baby in May. My heart grieves tonight knowing that one moment could have changed everything.

I'm not angry, I'm not resentful (even though I really want to punch a wall), I'm just saddened that it wasn't me. All my heart-felt beliefs came true. He was meant to be with her even if it was to me he told was his soul mate. Energy flows where attention goes is my saying. I believed in my heart that they would be together... and I must say, the Universe granted me it.

I hope their child is beautiful....