Fat, Weak, Easily Entertained

Many of you that know me, know that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It is a time of gratitude, family, and food with no big expectations. When I was a kid, we used to go to my aunt and uncle’s house for Thanksgiving. They owned a restaurant so making a big meal for them was in their wheel house. The part that I loved was that my Uncle Tony would bake like 7 or 8 different types of pie, and he would let me try as many as I would want, as long as I ate all of what he served me. The part that I didn’t particularly enjoy was how sick I felt after overeating. In school they taught us about the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. I don’t think they had 7 types of pie. I think they were just grateful to be alive and able to eat a warm meal thanks to the Native Americans.

Today we have it really easy compared to the Pilgrims. We have well insulated homes with thermostats, electricity that powers all of our creature comforts like a refrigerator/freezer, TV, computers/smart phones, vehicles and roads to drive them on, airplanes to fly us anywhere we want, stores filled with anything you could possibly need and of course we have Amazon in case you don’t want to leave your house to pick up your stuff in person. We have restaurants that will prepare you a meal, serve it to you, and clean up after you at their place, with their dishes and utensils. We also have people that will deliver you a cooked meal to your doorstep. We have stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot that have every possible thing you could need to build a modern home. The Pilgrims showed up with a few hand tools like axes to build their shelters/homes.

Most of us if asked what are we thankful for will say my family, my job, and my health. There is so much to be thankful for beyond those three, but we spend little time thinking about, because we are so easy distracted. Today’s generation Z (born between 1995-2010) has the worst mental health scores of any generation in history. They have the highest rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide. The suicide rate for individuals of all ages in the United States increased 30% from 2000 to 2016 and peaked for youth in 2017. We have more to be thankful for, yet we are not truly happy or feel fulfilled.

I was listening to a podcaster describe what he noticed after watching a Monday night football game as the camera scanned the crowd in attendance. He said that he saw virtually every adult male in the crowd appeared to be overweight or obese, bearded, and drinking a beer or wielding a cell phone. His overall assessment of this picture was that we were not meant to be fat, weak, and easily entertained. This comment really stuck with me because it speaks to what the results are when our lives are lacking physical and mental challenges that require commitment and fortitude. None of us like hard times, until we triumph over them. Without struggle there is no real victory.

My daughter Grace has been begging me to take her along with me when hunting. I have taken her out with me a few times and it is a real struggle for her to sit still, be quiet, and endure the cold climate. She has seen the sunset without a harvest, she has walked out before daylight and climbed into a cold stand in the dark to see the sunrise and woods come to life. She has watched several deer walk by without a shot fired. Saturday, she watched as I harvested the first deer of the season for our family. This was not a virtual event on a tablet or phone. This was live and it was real. The emotional outpouring of her joy and respect was priceless. She took part in every aspect of properly processing it with pride and gratitude.

I have often quoted Dr. Bruce Lipton, PhD. Cell Biologist, “a cell cannot be in growth and defense at the same time.” Our minds work the same way. We cannot be depressed and anxious when we are actively engaged in meaningful work that benefits all involved. Be grateful for finding your purpose in your life.

Lombardi Chiropractic Family Health Center
1116 Upper Lenox Ave.
www.lombardichiropractic.com
(315) 363-4114

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