DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR

Healthy self interest is not the selfish thing that neglects everyone else. Rather this kind of self interest involves taking care of your health and your attitude and is a form of general maintenance which all of us can and should do to stay happy and healthy.

Whenever you are feeling/looking dull and lacklustre, some simple things can lift you up and out and soon put your glow back into your look and bounce back into your step. It can also put your smile back on your face too.

To begin with, of course, an occasional checkup, physical and mental often works wonders. Beyond this, the steps you take to look better, can go a long way to making you feel better too.

It is actually a gift to yourself and those who care about you to know that each of us is living a healthier and therefore better life.

Among the benefits is the extra energy we have to get out and do things instead of having to save our depleted energy for essential tasks.

When you start living a life that you are defining inside yourself by what you don’t think you can do, rather than by what you think you can, you will make your life much more limited than it needs to be.

For example, at the annual university book sales (during which donated books are sold to the public to raise funds for the libraries), I have had to accept that I can no longer buy 38 books. I simply can’t manage to carry this much any more, even by weighing down both arms equally. This practical realization is sensible and logical. Though it means I have had to cut back to what I can carry, it does not seriously effect my life. Brooding about it, however would.

We all see people around us and are amazed when they tell us their ages. I am not referring to the type of person enamoured of plastic surgery or who has a whole team of people to make sure they are sporting the latest new look. That is usually reserved for the celebrity and movie star culture.

The group I am talking about is the one that tells us their age, and shocks us because they look so much older. I can’t imagine how you wouldn’t if your hair and clothes style is the one you sported 25 years ago. That date is long passed and you are past your sell date if you don’t see it.

Our appearance changes as we age, but it should also deliberately be changed by us because we want to look our best. To feel we are moving forward we need to change physically and mentally as time passes.

Physically and Mentally looking after yourself, involves breathing in new ideas as well as fresh air. 

Helpful Slogans try to inspire us by telling us to: just do it, go for it, get moving. This we can, and need to do, both physically and mentally.

To keep us in good shape physically, we should invest in ourselves; in our physical fitness by doing some form of exercise, and by consciously eating good foods.

There is a lot of help out there which we can enlist to help us. Through books and people, including doctors, dentists, medical support staff and referrals for other types of help which is readily available.

Mentally we can refresh our thinking by seeing and doing new things, including having at least a brief look at new ideas with openness and interest.

Art and artistic and creative inspiration can also help us. Each of us has within us the capacity to be uplifted and inspired by something.

Not all of us can have a goal of climbing mountains (as some people I know do and have). The rest of us could give our Wish Lists serious consideration and pick at least some small item that we can accomplish easily and without much effort.

This is usually something that not only does not cost a lot, but may involve making time for. Sometimes it is a small thing we always thought we would get around to doing some time, possibly even in our own city, but have not yet done it.

I hate to say it, but every once in a while we get a reminder that time is passing. In my case, 2 nieces turning 16 (within two months of each other) is giving me quite a jolt. When I prepare a portfolio for each of them of the drawings they made for me over the years, I expect a lot of memories will come together for them and me.

Letting time trickle through our fingers is something we all too easily can do. As another calendar year comes to a close, the realization that another year is passing can make you land with a thump.

Even if it is and has been a wonderful year in a dozen ways that immediately come to mind, it is still another year passing. This may give each of us a reason to reflect upon it. This should not however, give us a reason to delay our excitement and anticipation of the year ahead.

Meanwhile, there are still Christmas and New Year cards to write, for the procrastinator in my place, decorating to do (of my place and myself) meals to plan and a couple of landmark birthdays to celebrate.

I am looking forward and hope you are too.