Accidental Insight - W2.D3

Sometimes I write comments without thinking before hand. Like the concept of accidental art (wherein the mistake you make turns out to be the real art, and not the art you intended to make), I feel like it's my bit of accidental insight that really touches me emotionally. Sometimes I sound completely crazy and off the wall, (Hope I made some of you smile today with talk of escape hatches and rocks and dandelions!) but other times something comes out and I think - I really like the way that sounds.
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I made this comment on RAVENSONG37's blog post:
You know, I've always heard "your body is your temple" but I'd rather believe that my body is my tool. I can either use it correctly and it will work for me, or I can abuse it and it will be broken and unusable very soon.
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I thought about my healthy living class last evening and my instructor pounding into our heads over and over, "You only get one body. You can't just trade it in when it breaks like you do your car!"

Have you ever thought about this - that we spend more time deciding what kind of car to buy than we do making serious health decisions like choosing the right doctor or even what we'll eat. When we go to the service station for a fill up, we think about the "right" type of fuel for our cars. We get check-ups for our cars every few months, change the fluids - and we expect the best brands in oil --why do you think there are so many choices at Advance! Some of us girls may even accessorize our cars. Guys certainly tend to wash their cars more often then most women I know. The point is - we take care of them. We might even name them. And have you ever caught yourself talking to your car when it's having trouble? "I'm sorry baby...just a little further and then we'll see what's wrong with you."

Why, then, do we spend so LITTLE time on ourselves? Why do we roll through the drive-thru to get a burger and fries without asking what is in them and if it is the best value for our dollar, if it will keep our bodies running longer, if we can expect better gas mileage and more miles out of our bodies from consuming that fuel? Why do we just take the cheap and easy route with our bodies - and WHY do we console our cars, but not ourselves? We beat ourselves up with talk of failure, and fat, and all those other disgusting thoughts that run through our minds. We tell ourselves we're weak. We tell ourselves we aren't worth it. But I tell my car all the time that I love it and I thank it for the service it has given me. What about my body? Hasn't it been through a whole lot more with me than my car? Think about where I'd be without it!

What would you do if someone told you that the car you have right now, whatever shape it's in at the current moment, is the car you are stuck with for the rest of your life. Think about how much time and effort you would put into making sure the car stays in good condition.

Doesn't your body deserve the same attention and respect? Doesn't it deserve the best fuel? Doesn't it deserve to stay in good shape so that it can keep you going. Because my instructor is right, we don't get another one. This is it, folks. This one body is yours to have for ever and ever. It's time to start taking care of it so that we can enjoy it for the rest of our lives!

And here's the last sobering thought from last night's class. People these days are living much longer, and that's a great thing... But think about what your last 20 years will be like if you continue with the habits you have today. Think about what you'll be doing at 90 if you continue on the path you're on. Will it be a happy and healthy and active 90, or will you be waking up every morning wishing you could simply go back to bed?