I arrived home from work last night to the sound of music playing, lively conversations around the table, and my kids engaged in a backyard golf contest. We were celebrating my son's 19th birthday with family.
For some reason when my kids and I gather for some sporting activity, it always follows suit that there is going to be some healthy family competition. This time, we were chipping golf balls to see who could get closest to the hole. On the final shot, my six-year-old daughter (with some help from the birthday boy) made a surprisingly close shot, almost taking the prize until her older brother, Caden, spoiled her fun with a near hole-in-one.
Afterwards, we enjoyed grilled cheeseburgers and watermelon, shared stories, read cards, opened gifts, and savored a vanilla-strawberry ice cream cake.
As I read out loud the homemade card I wrote to my son, I got choked up recalling the day he was born-one of the most memorable days of my life.
Nineteen years ago yesterday, I worked a full morning with patients until noon when I got 'the call' from my wife telling me the baby was coming, so I rushed her to the hospital by 1pm and Dallas was born around 4pm. I then was able to attend my son, Hudson's, championship Little League game at 4:30pm, where he had 3 RBI's, helping his team to victory. It was just one of those 'once in a lifetime' days I'll never forget.
Celebrating life, birthdays, and milestone events made me realize how fast the past 19 years have flown by. I thought about my health from 19 years ago to today and wondered how I am doing in maintaining my overall health picture.
What about you? What direction are you heading in your quest for good health?
It's hard to think about how your health has changed in the past 10-20 years but you can gage how you are currently doing by simply asking some questions to help you think about where you are today.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Physical Health
- Am I engaging in some regular physical activity, such as walking, swimming, or participating in a particular sport?
- Am I making wise food choices? Do I need to have that nightly bowl of ice cream after dinner or is this something I only do occasionally?
- Spiritual Health
- Where am I on my spiritual journey? Am I closer or further away from God?
- How am I growing and changing spiritually?
- Relational Health
- Am I maintaining strong, supportive relationships with family and friends?
- How often do I spend quality time with my loved ones, and am I more effective at resolving conflicts?
- Mental Health
- Am I replacing negative, hindering, unproductive thoughts with positive, helpful, productive ones?
- Am I growing in wisdom and knowledge, gaining a greater perspective on life?
Being mindful to reflect on these areas and take action on the areas of improvement will pay big dividends for you. Life is short. Our time here is limited.
Being a good steward of your health impacts everything you do and everyone you know. Take time to invest in your health today for a better future tomorrow.
Warm regards,
- Dr. Derek 'need work on my golf game' Taylor
