Yesterday’s challenge was about recognizing your strengths. If patience is one of yours, Friday provided a pretty good test. For the second day in a row, something major disrupted the country. This time, the FAA grounded departing flights nationwide, something that hadn’t happened since January 2023. Another opportunity to practice not complaining, focus on solving problems, and appreciate what was going right. Of course, that’s easier to say when you’re not sitting in an airport wondering if you’ll ever see your luggage again.
The second part of yesterday’s challenge was to ask someone close to you what they think your strengths are. Sometimes others recognize qualities we don’t see or appreciate in ourselves. Hopefully, they came up with something you hadn’t considered.
Today’s challenge is to appreciate our health. Not everyone enjoys good health, and some are dealing with serious illness. I’ve certainly gained a greater appreciation for mine this year. If you read my blog post about falling on the ice, my most viewed post of the year, you know I spent much of January, February, and March in significant pain. Things started improving in April, but it wasn’t until September that I felt mostly normal. By then, nearly another year of aging had taken its toll. Apparently, the aging process doesn’t offer extensions for time missed due to injury.
January was difficult for our family, too. My mother-in-law, my brother, and my son all had medical issues requiring attention. It was a reminder of how quickly things can change and how easily we take good health for granted.
As I post this, I’m just a few steps away from 2,450 consecutive days of walking at least 10,000 steps. Some days those last few steps are less about exercise and more about negotiating with my watch. But I’m grateful I’ve been able to keep moving, especially this year. I also recognize the importance of eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep. Knowing what I should do and actually doing it, unfortunately, remain two different things.
Today, appreciate your health and the health of those around you. Drink a little more water, take a walk if you’re able, breathe deeply, and get some rest. We can’t control everything about our health, but we can make choices that improve our chances.
Tonight, journal about your health. What are you grateful your body allows you to do? What can you do to become healthier or maintain the health you have?
