Costs of Being Unhealthy

My 52^nd birthday is fast approaching. You know, as you get older, we tend to do a little more contemplation about where your life is at, and where it’s going.

I don’t look as good as I would like to. A hard life has had it’s affects. Spider veins, bags under my eyes from years of stress and lack of sleep. Not too bad though. A lot of my friends look a lot worse 😉 and a lot of people peg me for younger. We’re our own worst enemies sometimes, you know?

On the other hand, I can run circles around practically everyone I know – even my daughter. I’m rarely ever sick. I don’t pay hundreds of dollars for monthly prescription meds. I’ve never been in the hospital except for childbirth.

My grandparents started to decline when they retired. For the most part, they lived a life in front of the TV. Separate TVs at that. While they lived a good long time, they didn’t really have a quality life. They just decided they were old and that was that.

My mom was the perfect picture of a bad example. She ate no fruit or vegetables. Ate a ton of salt. Got no sunshine or exercise. Drank a lot of J.B., and smoked 3 cartons of cigarettes a week. She would come home from work and sit in her chair in front of the TV and drink her J.B. and smoke until it was time to go to bed. The curtains were never opened.

My sisters and my best friend have always been kind of sickly. Always trips to the doctors, surgeries, meds…

I don’t want to live like that. I just don’t want to deal with all of the trips to the doctor, the meds, and the pain of not being healthy.

I don’t want to be so tired, or so in pain that I can’t get up and enjoy life.

I don’t want to be fat.

I don’t want to lose my eyesight.

I don’t want to lose my thinking capabilities.

I don’t want to live the last 10 years of my life in a nursing home.

I don’t want to be a burden to my daughter.

I want to do my own gardening, decorating, house cleaning and such.

I love it that my house is where everyone comes for the holidays. I don’t want people to come over and feel like they have to do everything for me.

I don’t want to deal with the financial costs of being unhealthy.

You know, there’s the financial costs, and then there’s the quality of life costs. I’m not willing to pay either.

How many years will my health strategies work? I don’t know. Subscribe and keep an eye on me and see for yourself. Or better yet, try them on yourself. They’ve certainly served me well so far.

You see, no matter how much money you have, if you don’t have your health – it doesn’t matter all that much, does it?

That’s enough thinking for today. I’m off to wash dishes!

Carole

a.k.a. – ‘Mother’