Have you heard the old proverb by Benjamin Franklin: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”?
Sounds good to me. I will take self care and preventative maintenance over pills and surgery whenever it is possible.
That’s why I love to practice yoga, my neti pot (right up there with teeth brushing), bodywork, eating and cooking healthy and delicious food, and having fun (very important). I realize that there are no guarantees and life is certainly unpredictable, but don’t we want to improve our odds for better health and longevity? Is it really necessary to get sick as we age? Isn’t the goal to stay healthy as long as possible as we age? In medical terms, this is called “compression of morbidity.” And don’t we want to share this with our children?
Of course, as a parent, I doubt and question my actions quite often. What decent parent doesn’t? Where is that parenting manual again? But just yesterday, my almost 6 year old son, Elijah, told me as I was tucking him in for bed, “Mama. I love you. Thank you for not feeding us chemical food”. A proud moment in my career as a mother. I certainly felt that at least I had gotten the parenting memo on feeding my kids right (for now anyway). 
Another phrase comes to mind: “Man is what he eats,” from Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach. It implies that the food one eats has a direct impact on a person’s state of mind, health and spirit. This weekened at the IIN conference in NYC, Dr. Andrew Weil said that what we eat effects how we feel emotionally. He also, stated, that it not just the food you feed yourself: “What you feed your mind has a profound effect on your well-being.” For example, take a news fast, he suggests. Take a break from sad and frustrating stories. If you treat yourself with thought and care, everyone around you, including you, will thank you.
On that happy note, Happy Thanksgiving to all and hope to see you soon! Don’t forget to practice your gratitude!
Your mission, should you accept it, is to write down 3 good things from the day or 3 things that you are grateful for. Write every day, for 30 days, and check back in with yourself and see if anything changes for you. I will check back in to hear about your progress.
Today, I am grateful for:
1. Blowing bubbles in the bathtub and reading books with my kids before bed.
2. The warm, sunny fall afternoon outside.
3. My wonderful students and clients. Thank you for being my teachers.
Thank you so much to all of you!