I hope that everyone had a great weekend and that you are ready for the challenges and rewards of the week ahead. For me, there were, as always, wonderful aspects of the weekend, but this particular one leaves me haunted by what we saw at the circus on Saturday. No, one of the aerialists didn’t fall or the lion tamer get mauled by one of his cats. It is what I saw outside of the three rings that leaves me more determined than ever to change people’s lives because so many are so desperately in need of our help.
Do they know that they need help? I don’t know. The circus was at our fairgrounds and I made a bad parking choice that necessitated about a half mile walk with my wife and I each carrying one of our girls at least part of the way, yet we passed countless people on the way and so many were doing the characteristic obese waddle. Sorry if that doesn’t sound politically correct but the human body carrying a lot of extra weight cannot function as efficiently as it can at an ideal weight.
Once inside, even though it was 11:00, the feeding frenzy began with kids eating cotton candy, questionable pepperoni pizza and hot dogs and drinking soda – the only things available. We took healthy sandwiches and water and our girls never once asked for anything that was being sold to the other kids. Yet young and old alike were gorging themselves on fare that would pollute their bodies, not feed them and choosing an option that they could have avoided had they brought healthy lunches. Then some snacks afterward are not the primary food sources.
I’m okay with the meek inheriting the earth, but I’m not okay with the obese inheriting the earth. The fabric of our society is being threatened by the ability of our citizens to make sensible lifestyle choices that will prepare us physically and emotionally for life’s challenges. God forbid that we would be challenged by some catastrophic event, but if we were to be, could we rise to the threat to our existence?
If you look around you and think in terms of who you would want to be on your “team”, the fittest and fastest and strongest are few and far between. Creating a winning team then, that will win the game of life, has become exceedingly difficult. Are you fueling your body to prepare it to handle life’s challenges? Are you exercising regularly to have the strength and endurance to overcome obstacles? Are you making lifestyle choices that are the best for you and set an example to those around you? If not, then when we need to be at our best in the most difficult of times, you won’t be prepared. Today is the day to start preparing, not tomorrow when it may just be too late.
