Life always takes unexpected turns, and you won’t ever know when your time is coming.
When there is a death in the family, you can’t help but reflect on how precious life is, and that certain things don’t matter when faced with losing a loved one. In my case, it was my partners mum. Having elderly parents means you are always worried about them, their health and how much time you do have with them. As they start to age, you begin to contemplate that your time with them is possibly short-lived and that plays on your heartstrings.
I always make a point of highlighting how important health is to our longevity. This stems from my many years of allergies, intolerances and gut problems as a small child. It was magnified in my early 20’s when my father passed away from cancer. He was a robust smoker form a young man.
The most heartbreaking moment happened a few weeks before he passed away. My nephew (he was about 13 at the time) and I hid my dad’s cigarettes at the time, proclaiming that these are the very things that are bringing him to his deathbed. My dad became too cross at us for hiding his smokes and yelled at us aggressively. I remember my nephew crying, and I stood there frozen, there, not even believing his words. I can’t even remember them now, but they were hurtful. His doctor told me that at this stage, his cancer was so extensive that eliminating smoking would not make a difference. The difference it would make was allowing him to have those enjoyable moments before he passed away and that he eventually did.
From that moment onwards, I vowed to lead a life of good health, even if I had to learn everything along the way. My picture and understanding of health have shifted many times, mainly because of health issues popping up at different times. There is always something new to learn along your life journey.
Now that another passing has occurred, I vow even more strongly that I will spread the word on good health, longevity and leading a life that’s well beyond our centennial years. My images of sickness, cancer, death and disease have fixated a passion inside of me that nothing can ever overpass. I feel so strongly about leading a life that’s rich in experiences, beautiful people and being around this in the best possible health. What is life when we can’t enjoy even the simple things, such as friends, family and a beautiful sunny day?
I urge you to please seek medical advice on anything troubling you, or if you feel a loved one intensely may be experiencing something. Don’t ignore those silent nudges. They come about for a reason, and they aren’t to be missed. If you do feel the need to seek help for something, don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed about it. The worst thing that can happen is that you don’t ask for help, and a problem magnifies — looking after your health is not a waste of time or something that should be pushed to the sidelines. Your health is your wealth of life, abundance and enjoying the miracle every day that is our planet. No matter what devastation is happening around us — life is precious, and so are we.
