“Never the hardest working person, laziness has increased in recent months.”
For more than 60 years, days started at 6 o’clock and went full steam ahead until 10 o’clock.
Not giving it much consideration, the schedule was quite demanding starting with morning chores. Driving from 25 to 60 miles twice daily starting in college and then commuting to and from work five decades.
Back home, there were horses to ride, chores to do, night meetings, supper, and that was it. Weekends were for rest catchup, demanded professional obligations, more horseback time, and doing not much of anything.
Sadly, “doing not much of anything” has become the routine. Riding horses, writing stories, and recording radio shows are about it.
For most of life, doctors were visited quite infrequently, including a couple of required short-timed hospital stays. Now, more than a half dozen different doctors’ monthly appointments keep the kitchen calendar filled so none are missed. Nine prescription pill bottles are opened for ingredients use once or twice daily.
Well into her eighth decade, Grandma saw her doctor annually, took one pill a day, and smoked long Kool cigarettes. She’d always prepare noon dinner for the family grocery store crew of about six.
Too bad that ambition didn’t carry over to the grandson who made three daily visits to her upstairs apartment. Fortunately, that stinky smoking habit did not come this way although it did not seem harmful to her health.
Most important ingredients for a healthy long life are correct diet, regular physical activity, and a long sound night’s sleep.
That was also the personal physician’s prescription given to cure laziness. The doctor’s orders really don’t sound very difficult to follow.
However, when one’s never hungry and no food sounds or tastes good, it’s difficult to have a “correct diet.”
Riding horseback daily is perfect exercise but sometimes challenging during a winter snowstorm. While that stationary living room bicycle comes into dedicated 30-minutes daily use it’s far more tiring than a horseback ride.
Sleeping at night was never an issue after a long full day’s work. Now pills and a machine still don’t authorize a night of restful sleep.
Reminded of James 4:14: “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow, it is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
+++ALLELUIA+++
XVII–50–12-10-2023
