A Clean Bill of Health

I've had this mild fever for a couple of weeks so I went to the doctor to see what's going on. It turns out it might be a viral infection but we won't know until the test results are back. In the meantime, I just need to get a lot of rest.

As I was filling out the patient forms, I realized, in truth, I'd been rather blessed with a clean bill of health. Despite minor illnesses such as an occasional cold or allergies, I don't really have any outstanding health issues. This has been my first time to the doctor's office for something specific in ages. I filled out my form, with most of the "prior/existing illness" column unchecked. Under drugs I filled in "Tylenol and Claritin." That's all I take, not even on a regular basis. I begin to wonder, is my lucky streak running out?

But my exam went very well. My lungs sounded fine. My blood pressure was 124/74. My reflexes were good. I'm at a good weight. I show no visible sign of aging. I eat well. I exercise. I sleep. A lot. And maybe that's what's been keeping me healthy all these years.

So this minor setback is rather puzzling. Not that I'm scared. I think whatever is ailing me is nothing major, and I'm already feeling better than I did three days ago, with only a few tablets of Ibuprofen at my disposal.

I do become very aware of the fact that there really is no better thing than good health. As a child of two senior citizens, I see the struggles my parents go through on a daily basis simply trying to feel good so they can go through the day. Both have diabetes and high blood pressure. They take pills like they're eating candy. Granted, at their age, they are still very active and relatively pain free. But I do realize, I have been taking my good health for granted. It's not always going to be that way. I'm not that young anymore, even though I look and feel good. The soul, mind and body work together, and it's our duty to keep all three in top shape.

I mean, the soul, the mind, and the body all need to be healthy to lead a productive life. If either one fails, the quality of life is reduced significantly. We need to nurture our souls with kindness and love and humanity and connections. We need to nurture our minds with knowledge and understanding and thoughts and ideas. And we need to nurture our bodies with nutrition, rest, exercise, and rest. Only when we're healthy from inside and out can we have the tools we need to pursue our happiness and to live life to our fullest. I know it's all trite and cliched, but I really do believe in how the mind, body and soul work together to create that balance of good health.

To me, my whole life is about balance. Good health is all about balance. Too much of a good thing is going to take something else away. I believe in moderation as well, which tie very neatly with balance. A little bit of everything makes the world such a wonderful place and life such a wonderful experience, but once we start overdoing something, from overeating to overstressing to giving in to emotions such as anger or guilt, we start to chip away something else, whether it's our cholesterol or our hearts or our mental well-being. They're all connected; the mind, body and soul are like the three legs of a table: When something is knocked out of balance, the rest has to struggle to just to keep us standing.