Skating Uphill - October 2017

“This article was meant to be about how to maintain good bone density,
but when I sat down to write, I just couldn’t do it!”
­- The Uphill Skater ­-

As I watched all of the recent storms, earthquakes and floods destroying people’s lives and property it was so horrible, it almost did not register after a while. Places I had been and things I had enjoyed seeing were simply gone. Images of those just standing in wonder looking at where their property used to be were haunting accounts of uncontrollable events. If we think the loss of a home or tree or bridge is so devastating, imagine those who have lost loved ones.

 The massive earthquake in Mexico was also devastating. Images of crumbled buildings and infrastructure in the streets surrounded by, again, the bewildered and now desolate, will stay with us for a long time. There were many lives lost and so much destruction.

Then, for a change of pace, I watched one of the news stations, then another and finally yet another. It is hard to say it was actually worse, but it was very close. Missiles, bombs, terrorists and refugees are awful, but how awful too are we? Fighting among ourselves for what—money, power, influence, greed? I, like you, could go on and on. Hired thugs beat old ladies who are demonstrating for women’s health clinics because they are carrying American flags. Many who have received huge benefits from the American way of life refuse to honor the flag that has flown so proudly over our country. How in the world are people getting away with this? Where are conscience, gratitude, and the almost extinct patriotism?

The best, or worst part, of all this is we get to see it all on TV, then have it all parsed out and explained to us and for us for days on end by a variety of biased people speaking only from their own perspective. They call them “talking heads,” but I call them “formers.” Listen to introductions and you will see what I mean. It is the former head of, and the former chairman of, and the former CIA chief, and the recently fired, now former leader of and on and on. Don’t you wonder how many of these people they can drag out from their living rooms to pretend they have current knowledge? I do.

Interestingly enough, I am sitting here looking out my window at a truly beautiful sight—trees, flowers, mowed and trimmed lawns and best of all, children playing. Nice cars are driving by, people are walking or jogging, and I just had a really good lunch.

It is so difficult to know what to make of all of this, but I am going to go back to my basics and back to the reason I write this column: It is all about you and your healthy lifestyle. If you think that sounds selfish, you are wrong. The world is made up of single individuals doing what they do, and you are one of them—nothing more, nothing less.

I, for one, have a guilty conscience, so I try to do something about it. I have been blessed, so I try to, in some small way, pay it forward to make a difference in someone else’s life to justify all of us using up the planet. I am going to tell you some of the things I do, and this is not meant as something you should do, bragging, or even suggesting. It is simply what I do. You may do much more, or much less, that is up to YOU!

I support a student in Cambodia named Yon Yen. He is a sophomore in college, and it has taken him so long to get to this spot. He has a farm, a wife and two children. When he graduates, he wants to be a teacher. I am a former teacher, and I picked him with that in mind. He writes to me monthly, and I get to see his progress and grades. I also help to support a missionary woman in the Ukraine. Usually, I like a charity that I can see. I am selfish that way. I like to look it in the eye. That is not always possible though.

Through my church, I support most causes that come along, as we have giving opportunities for those kinds of things. I love that my church does that. I also help with school supplies for a local junior high school. I have been on a mission trip to Haiti, and I was deeply influenced by what I saw. Anyone who has ever been on a mission trip will understand the conflicting emotions involved in “helping” people for a week then going home. It is so different, but not the least bit less important, than volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club every week, teaching a child to read. Everything helps. Anything helps. Do what moves you.

Go to www.skatinguphill.com for discussions about food plans, mental health, product information and some honest advice. This blog is safe, free and I hope interesting. Until next month, Love Judith