Our sense of community and the idea that there is responsibility in how we should behave and take care of ourselves has gone by the board in our “It’s my life and I can do what I want” times. If we don’t take care of ourselves through overindulgence or neglect, it is all okay. Just “Leave me the ‘F’ alone; I am not hurting anyone but myself!” This is our modern American free-choice mantra. This is also complete and unadulterated baloney!
What you do always affects ME! We live in a society — a group of people who share space and resources and goods and interact with one another. Unless you choose to live on a deserted island, you DO have a responsibility to those around you to take care of yourself. Because, dear self-indulgent, “it’s-too-hard” friend of mine, as a member of society, I am the one who will have to carry your weight and pay for the results of your life choices.
When you choose to eat too much and pack on those “just-can’t-seem-to-lose” pounds that you moan about as you drink another sugar-slugged soft drink, I am the one that will pay. The cost of the high-blood-pressure induced stroke that waits for you and the insulin you will eventually need to jolt your over-burdened pancreas into action will fall to me. Because you refuse to exercise and eat well, heart disease or osteoporosis is in your future. And, I am the one that will pay for the operation you will need to repair your hammered-to-hell heart or to replace your abused and now-broken hip.
Your indulgence in too much food, wine, cigarettes and “other substances” will cause me to stand watch over you as you lie in the hospital with that stroke, heart attack, a failing liver or lung disease. Your family and your friends and your employers will be called upon to fill in; shore up; repair and be aware of all the things in life that you cannot take care of because you refuse to take care of yourself now. Enough!
It is time for that BIG overindulged “I” to get off your butt and take responsibility for your own self care. Not because it is good for you (you don’t seem to give a damn about that), but because it is good for the “other fellow,” the guy who will end up holding the bag and stepping up to the plate to cover your (getting-bigger-all-the-time) ass because you refuse to, or are just too stupid to.
I am tired of not being able to find clothing to fit me because it all seems to come in X-Large, XX-Large, or (God help us!) XXX-Large. I am tired of hearing (ad nausea) about the newest weight-loss product, miracle cure, fix-me-quick gadget, drug or procedure to get healthy without doing any WORK. There is no magic solution; it is called closing your mouth and putting down the fork. It is putting down the smokes and limiting the booze. It is about moving your mind and your bottom with mental and physical exercise. It is about doing something different and (oh, what a concept!) taking care of yourself. And, if you cannot do it for the love of yourself, then do it for the love of me — your friend, your spouse, your parent, your child — because I don’t want to have to take care of you!
And, here’s a scary thought, what if I say, “no?”
Tags: Action in aging, Age and honesty, Aging humor, korth, robin korth
This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 13th, 2010 at 9:43 am and is filed under IOA Stories, Newsletter, Robin's Insights. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
