Choose Life…a Better One

I talk about well-being a lot—I talk about health a lot—

We need our bodies to be healthy—our brains to be alert and sharp…Right?

In order to have these such important blessings,

1.    we must get rid of our old eating habits, the Standard American Diet (SAD), replace it with good quality food, and

2.    we need to realize our bodies are made to move and that if we don’t move them as a daily habit, we will not live a full and healthy life into old age.  And

3.    We must realize that as much as we “need to” keep pushing our bodies and our minds to get everything done that we need to do, we weren’t designed to keep up that pace.  Our bodies and minds need to “take a breath”.  We HAVE TO, if we want to keep our health and our mental sharpness. And

4.    We must realize that without good sleep, our bodies and brains won’t be able to clean out and refresh, and rebuild, to be ready for the next day.  We can’t sustain long-term lack of good quality sleep, and stay healthy.

5.    There’s another thing I haven’t mentioned much.  Our thoughts.  It’s important for us to think about our thoughts…about whether we want to keep them…about which way they lean…and why.  We should realize the direction of our thoughts marks the path we’ll take.

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Do you know one very important reason we need to know these things, and do these things?

Our Children, and our Families.  How can they know, if we don’t show them.  The world around them will not teach them.

If we have goals that help us improve our lives, but don’t have time or energy to convey any of those thoughts to your children and family, or your closest friends, they all lose out on what we can pass on to them.

Teaching and being an example that good ideas and good living are not some secret, but are actually time-tested keys to long and happy lives.

Let’s think of all the things that influence us—and influence our family—our children.

The old SCI FI comic books—they’d stretch our imagination—that was kind of fun, ‘way back.  Then as the internet world came alive, there was the hacker-culture with anti-heroes in the high tech world.  Then it became normal to have games and internet reels, and movies with dark scenarios, realistic and seductive ideas of suffering and an ultimate unjust future.

Instead of classics, young minds were filled with a series of comic book heroes and futures where the sole goal was surviving, not thriving.  And these dark influencers became heroes.

The Sci-Fi visions have become eerily familiar in our reality in the realms of science, technology and “scientism”, and also financial systems (ruined planet, plagues, robots taking over, over-population, thought control).  And Fighting.  Continual Fighting.

So, Here we are.

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What if we were able to turn those ideas around—away from the dark and suffering, to growing, and thriving, helping, and feeling joy… and hope…

What influences your life…your thoughts…your plans for your future?

          What you read…

          Instructors, if in classes…

          What we watch…

          Who your social media friends are…

          Who our real, in-person friends are…

          Who/What we listen to; news, podcasts, etc…

Once our minds are slanted toward a direction, good or bad, it’s easier to go along with more and more things that go in that same direction, so we might need to take inventory from time to time to make sure we’re thinking in the direction we want to think—the direction that goes along with who we truly are, and what we believe in our core.

So, what things should we think about?  The Bible tells us to think about the good things.  Things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, things that are virtuous, and things worthy of praise.  This gives us a good idea for a foundation.  If your thoughts begin to go in the direction of darkness, you probably need to pause, and re-think.

Once we’ve been influenced by the darker, hopeless thoughts of “the future” or the present, it takes hold of us before we know it, and it entices us, or drags us, further into it.

And we can be easily influenced over time to think toward the fog, or the smog—the unclear direction.  But we can look toward a brighter future.  The hope is there.

There are lots of things to influence us in the wrong direction, and our own mind can easily dwell there if we let it, without any outside influence.  There are lots of “real-life” negative things to get us thinking on the wrong track.  But there is so much more hope!

●      We need to know what we truly believe, and what we truly want for our lives.

●      We need to be grounded in that spot.  We need to know for sure—Strong in our beliefs.  Not easily persuaded otherwise.

Do you Believe in:

●      A future of Belief, Faith, Striving for a true, just, virtuous and praiseworthy future?

●      A future of Care and Respect and Encouragement for our fellow-man?

●      That these Beliefs and Faith are God-given, and can flourish in Family and Health; and can give you Longevity and Peace?

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And then…

Can we convince the next generation that the negatives, and hopelessness are not inevitable?  That there can be, and is now a better future?

Yes.  We can.

●      We can believe it ourselves.  The peace of our own lives depends on this belief.  We can be strong in our belief.  How can we have peace without it.

●      We can transfer that belief to the young minds and hearts around us.  They need to know these truths.  How can they have peace without it.

Reject the darker side, and think about where we really want to go.  Catch those thoughts and turn them around with thinking where you truly want to go!

Love yourself.  God made you.  You’re not perfect; who is?  Love YOU.

Then share your love with the people around you.  They need your love, and they need your encouragement.  We all need each other.

Choose to have a good life.  Choose to enjoy it.  Choose to love.  And choose to be thankful for those around you, and for all your other blessings.  And take some time to reflect on those blessings.

A life well-lived is worth going for.  We will never be perfect.  But how we live our lives, positive and negative, are legacies that we pass on to the next generation, and then the next.

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I will be spending this weekend with family at our annual reunion.  The younger generation is in charge, and they keep things going with lots of fun things.  Most all of the younger ones camp out, while some of us stay in the state park lodge.  They cook for us in the camp; they have games; we do miniature golf, ride the little scenic train. 

We do all this in honor of “Little Grammy” and Grandad, and everyone has so much of a great time.  They loved auctions, so we all bring things to sell, and one of the nephews becomes our auctioneer, and we use the money to help toward next year’s expenses, while buying hand-made items, hand-painted items, or a family heirloom.  They would love that we do all this.

THIS is something honorable and good to think on.  Family. Being together with cousins, nieces & nephews, just all of us, and even some friends that have become built-in family.

I feel very thankful.

Thanks for reading my article.  I wish you the very best.  If I can help you with your health, or with thinking in a new or different direction, please call on me to help.  Our lives are so precious.  They’re worthy of us making them the very best that we can.  And our lives are so much more enjoyable.  I can help you.

Sharon