This week, as we gather with friends and family, and volunteer our time to help those in our communities who are less fortunate, we can’t help but reflect upon everything for which we are thankful.
As I get ready to hit the big 5-0 in three months, I’m extremely thankful for my health. I’m thankful that I’m physically able to run around with my five very active kids. I’m thankful that I have the energy to work 12-hour days on my feet, write seminars and blog posts, and conduct research that helps me become better at what I do. As Mark Twain said, “The secret of success is making your vocation your vacation.”
I thank God every day for my good health. I also thank God every day for giving me the ability to control my good health.
All of us are capable of making decisions each day, with help from qualified professionals, that affect how we feel. But achieving and maintaining good health requires a wellness plan.
Just like we have business plans, retirement plans, and college savings plans, we need to have a personal wellness plan to help us feel better, function better, and live as many quality, disease-free years as possible. We need to have a plan that includes proper nutrition, the right kind of exercise, and ways to minimize stress.
Yes, developing and adhering to a wellness plan requires effort and commitment. But is there anything in life more worthy of our effort and commitment than our health and the health of the people we love?
Having the ability to manage our own health and reduce the risk of illness is truly a blessing. A blessing that all of us should be thankful for.
Of course, there are some things in life that affect our health that are beyond our control. There is nothing we can do to prevent a child from being stricken with cancer. There is nothing we can do to prevent a freak accident that causes serious injury. And as recent tragic events around the world have reminded us, there are dangerous people who want to hurt us because they hate our way of life and our religious beliefs.
To say we should be thankful for our good health is an understatement.
As I look across the dinner table at my wife and kids and bow my head, I’ll give thanks for the wonderful people in my life – family, friends, staff and patients. I’ll give thanks for my relationship with God. And I’ll give thanks for our good health.
I wish you and your loved ones a very Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving.