Many People Treat Their Bodies-Daily Meditation-6.6.23

Today’s quotation:

Many people treat their bodies as if they were rented from Hertz–something they are using to get around in but nothing they genuinely care about understanding.-
Chungliang Al Huang

Today’s Meditation:

How much we neglect these bodies of ours!  These vessels that host our spirits while we’re here on this planet are miraculous works of art, yet we often treat them as if they were as disposable as the paper cup that we crumple up and throw away as soon as we take our drink of water.  Our bodies have particular needs, yet many of us don’t attend to the needs of our bodies as well or as carefully as we attend to the needs of our pets–some people’s cars get better treatment than their bodies do!

If there’s one thing that I want to ensure is that I don’t end up having problems with my body through my fault.  I know many diseases and ailments can strike me at any time, but I also know that many issues can be avoided if I take good care of my body.  That means exercising regularly, eating well (and not excessively), and doing other things like stretching and taking breaks from heavy activity when necessary.  If I indulge in something like eating sweets, I need to balance that out with exercise.

I always try to stay at pretty much the same weight, though winters take their toll.  I do this because I know that extra weight causes extra strain on the heart, lungs, and joints (especially the ankles, knees, and hips).  If my blood pressure goes up through my own neglect, it’s time for me to bear down and bring it back down so that it doesn’t cause even more damage.  And I don’t want to learn this lesson the hard way–there’s far too much information already for that to be necessary.

We face tons of advertising and other media that like to encourage us to constantly indulge ourselves in new foods, many of which have many more calories than we ever will need for one day’s worth of sustenance.  We face a world that keeps us so busy at work that it’s hard to exercise.  So it takes a great deal of effort sometimes to make sure that we’re eating well–not just a lot–and that we get the exercise that our hearts, minds, spirits, muscles, and cardiovascular systems need to be healthy.  Finding the time and making an effort will be well worth it when we can enjoy this planet and its wonders with a healthy body that allows us to do things we couldn’t do if we weren’t healthy.

Questions to consider:

Why do so many people neglect to keep their bodies in healthy states?

What can you do today to help your body stay healthy?

What benefits can you think of that come from keeping our bodies healthy?

For further thought:

Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity.  The soul must see
through these eyes alone; if they are dim, the whole world is clouded.-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

If you missed our last Daily Meditation, it is here.