My Dad passed away when he was 59 years old.
That will never not feel “young” to me.
I look back at the 35 years I had to spend with him and there’s not a day that passes that I don’t wish he were still here.
I am now 10 years shy of the age he was when cancer took him.
The likelihood that I will have the same cancer that he did isn’t good but it does stay in my mind: “What if” I only have that much time left?
I have two sons, Jackson and Sebastian, and like a lot of parents there is hardly a thing in this world I wouldn’t do for my boys.
But I also recognize that, of the things in my life that I have some degree of control over, my health is one of them.
I can eat mostly nutritious foods.
I can exercise.
I can prioritize my sleep.
I can have a high step count.
I can continue to improve my mental health.
I can stay up-to-date with current comprehensive bloodwork to make sure nothing under the surface isn’t heading a direction I don’t want it to go.
It’s not a perfect process. I am neither a perfect person nor a perfect parent.
But it’s what I have.
I don’t wake up every day, repeating affirmations in my mirror, manifesting positive vibes and giving myself the ol’ rah-rah on the way to work.
I just keep putting in the time, effort and work that I can on myself.
It’s not just for my boys, it’s for Marissa, it’s for my Mom, it’s for my clients and, selfishly, it’s for me.
Because I want to be around for them as long as I humanly can if it’s within my control to do so.
Perhaps you’ve heard the sentiment before: You say you’ll die for your family, but how will you live for them?
I don’t know who to credit that to, but it makes sense.
We all have to define health in a very different way from one another. What motivates you to be the best version of yourself may be quite different from me and that’s perfectly okay.
Whatever motivates you, dig deep into it. Pull the layers back on it. Make it about more than just the little black dress for the holiday event, the visible abs, or the wedding photos.
Make it about the life you truly want to experience.
To the best of my ability, I want to be around: mobile, capable, and strong for as long as I can.
And I want you to be around for a long time, too.
