Lifestyle

I was reading this blog .

This impressed me alot: "There’s a lot of hand-wringing going on these days about the epidemic of “lifestyle diseases.” You know the list: obesity, diabetes, heart disease and by some accounts, depression and neurological disorders. A lot of people are doing good work in these areas but sadly, we don’t seem to be making much progress. These afflictions–also described by the World Health Organization as “non-communicable diseases–continue to kill millions of people worldwide each year.

So maybe it’s time to flip our perspective upside down. Instead of talking about “lifestyle disease,” maybe it’s time to start talking about “diseased lifestyles.” This simple reversal will yield some new insights. Instead of focusing on the illnesses that plague our bodies, let’s get to the heart of the matter, the way we live in the modern world.

The distinction is crucial. A “lifestyle disease” is a pathological medical condition of the body’s tissue or organs: the pancreas is exhausted from trying to keep pace with a flood of refined sugars, the abdomen is distended with pro-inflammatory adipose tissue, the coronary arteries are clogged, the heart is enlarged and the blood pressure is high. A “diseased lifestyle” on the other hand, is a disease of perspective, behavior and relationship; it’s the way we’re living that’s out of whack."

And then I went out jogging. I was thinking about what I do that is different from the Standard American Diet, and lack of exercise. But I was also thinking about A Course in Miracles and it's instructions for healing the mind. And also, I was thinking about my expedition next June. Specifically, I worry that some body part, like a knee, won't be able to complete the longest part of the race.

But then I began to visualize finishing the most difficult part. I could see myself coming to the small group of people at the finish banner, and choking up with emotion that I had completed the course.

I am sure I don't want to spend the next 8 months worrying about failure. I'd rather spend it feeling success.

Then, I thought about aging and end of life. And I thought, instead of worrying about the pain of diminishment, I'd think about the success of being ready to blow out the candle.

I can do this every day too. Oh sure, I'll have bad moods and crabby moments. But I don't have to have an overall approach to life that is worrisome about physical problems. It is consciousness that allows me to improve my outlook. But also, it relies on their being a higher consciousness towards which I can communicate and relate.

I suppose my life depends on that higher aspect. And now, I can only contemplate it, not explain it.