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Health impacts the passages of life

“A model’s life is over at 21.” This television commercial is a commentary on the brevity of life and on how fleeting are the passages of life. Our young adult passage went by rapidly even though we have fond memories and a storage room of precious memories. At a glance back at that time, there was first the benefit of leaving home tp go to college, seminary and later, to volunteer for the Army. There was my courtship and marriage to Marilyn Page.

The benefits of life are to some degree within our control. Through a dedicated regimen of preventive and proactive care, we can very likely prolong our health and our lives. Through diligent attention, no matter the years, we increase our opportunities for a full life.

I have heard earnest people speak of every person having a time to die and speak of it as inevitable.How many times while maturing in faith have you heard that God has our number, meaning that there is a time and place for our demise steered by our Creator. To me this is a meager explanation of something we don’t understand. In recent years our understanding of this concept has changed. Wenow recognize that numbered days are determined by our personal choices.

Ten Tips for a Healthy Heart” [Consumer Reports 5.08] provides a litany of principles for extending our days and enriching our years. In this narrative I review two tips for a healthy life and heart. The fitness of our heart plays a decisive part in our longevity.

For a healthy heart and life, reduce the intake of bad [LDL] cholesterol-laden foods. In the Ozarks, we were raised on a weekly diet of fried chicken, including consuming that crispy skin. I vividly remember my father, raised on a farm and in poverty, stating: The skin is the best part of fried chicken.” Today we recognize the value of eating skinless chicken.

For a healthy heart and life, eliminate or reduce the intake of salt. In one passage of life, I salted food before tasting it. Now, since my by-pass, I have eliminated this seasoning. Now I am sensitive to the amount of sodium listed on the nutritional label posted on canned foods as well as what I use to seasoned home-prepared foods. I have been successful, by discipline in adhering to my goal of reducing my salt intake.

Other salient and decisive points contribute to our heart health and the span and length of life. Here are more Consumer Report suggestions:

  • Lose the gut.
  • Huff and pump [exercise]
  • Calm down [de-stress your life]
  • Drink alcoholic beverages in moderation
  • Know your CRP number
  • Know your body and listen to its messages

Successfully navigating the passages of life necessitates a frequent revision of our views on how to live healthy and successful lives in faith means periodic analysis and revision, amending and even fully changing our views physically , psychologically and spiritually.

I recommend reading Consumer Reports regularly. The health article, like many other in tis magazine, contains practical ideas for remain fit — and that keeps us fit spiritually.

Rev. Charles Moreland
Rev. Charles Moreland
Rev. Charles Moreland, retired, has lived in Clarksville for seven years and holds great pride in his adopted city and its people. His one objection in Tennessee is the Hall law of taxes on dividends and savings. Charles served in the U.S. Army Chaplaincy from 1966-1986, retiring to serve as a United Methodist pastor near Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He serves on the Boards of Directors for the ARP, Roxy Theater and MCDP. Though retired, he is a regular speaker at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. His five grandchildren, ages two to thirteen years, live in Evansville, Indiana. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War and served in Germany and Korea while on active duty.
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