The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and do not reflect in any way those of the Tiger Media Network, its staff or Fort Hays State University.
By Glenn Mollette
Most of us make our decisions every day. When the point comes that someone else is making all of our decisions then that’s not very great for any of us.
In the last few days, my body has been talking to me. I suppose this has been me talking to me or maybe one side of my brain has been talking to the other side. I have had this dialogue going about when am I going to get back on the wagon. The last couple of months I have more and more succumbed to the finer things of life such as hamburgers, ice cream, biscuits, fried eggs and desserts and cookies and just junk in general. I’ve watched my eating closely the last few years. About eight years ago I got on a hamburger kick and when I had my blood checked the doctor warned me that my cholesterol had skyrocketed. For the most part, I gave up hamburgers and my cholesterol came back down.
Eating healthy is not easy because most of the people we are around do not want to eat healthily. We love the good stuff like pizza. I forgot to mention I’ve been eating a lot of that as well along with drinking too much coffee. I love pizza and coffee.
I know lots of people who have lived on fried foods, steaks, hamburgers, ice cream and lots of sugar. These same people are usually fat, tired and sick looking most of the time. They’ve had heart surgeries and live on medication. I really don’t want to fight that battle but may have to, as there are no guarantees with these bodies. I totally realize we can take great care of our bodies and still end up battling any number of diseases. There is never a silver bullet when it comes to life and health.
I do know that my car needs care and routine maintenance. I know that it runs better on a proper grade of gasoline. I’ve never put sand in my gas tank and would never do so. Can you imagine what sand would do to your automobile’s engine? Yet, every day we fill our bodies with gunk. Our bodies don’t’ run well on gunk. So, today I am trying to climb back on the wagon. I will choose salmon, grilled chicken, vegetables, fruits, salads and wheat bread over greasy hamburgers, hot dogs, biscuits and gravy, sausage, fried potatoes and well the list, of course, goes on and on. However, please be kind if you see me out succumbing a little to life’s pleasures. It happens.
We all have our individual responsibilities when it comes to the care of our bodies. No one can do it for you. It’s no other person’s fault but our own…. sort of. Many of us were raised in cultures where we grew up eating any and everything. We watched our families smoke their lungs out, eat themselves to death and simply refused any life moderation or exercise. We have also viewed the consequences of shattered health and loss of years of life.
All of us Americans must make decisions about our health, our personal lives, and our nation.
November is coming. The health of our nation is plummeting. Who we elect as President is very serious. However, every county and community in America must take personal responsibility for his or her lives and future. Simply electing Clinton or Trump will not bring instant happiness and prosperity to any place in this country. Each small American town and every major city must join hands and work hard to provide a good place for its local citizens.
Our health does not usually spiral down overnight and health seldom rebounds overnight. We have to work hard, make good and sometimes hard choices and often even unpopular choices. The time is now for our country. We cannot sit back and expect Uncle Sam to make life wonderful for all of us. We must make life better for ourselves.
It’s every American’s responsibility.
Glenn Mollette is an American Syndicated Columnist and Author. This column does not necessarily reflect the view of any organization, institution or this paper or media source.