My journey to understanding the importance of wellness

Then in 2015 my paternal grandfather died from cancer, and it hit me harder than I expected. I’d spent a lot of time with him when I was a kid. You see, my grandfather ran his own business and taught me something very valuable at a young age. Which is that no matter what I did in life, I was going to have to work at it; nothing was going to be easy or given to me. This simple lesson helped instill a work ethic that I carry with me til this day.

In the days leading up to his funeral, though, something occurred to me. All of my grandparents had passed away from disease. This included heart disease, dementia, and cancer. No one had died of natural causes. And as I thought through why this was, another thing hit me. In each case, my grandparents were so focused on being responsible hard working people that they often put their own health on the back burner. In each case, by the time they started addressing the problem at hand it was almost too late. I concluded that another factor that contributed to their sicknesses was their general diet. We’re from the south where heavy,  grease laden meals are normal.

So I was convinced that this played a part. Had my paternal grandfather not have passed away when he did, he would have been around to meet my oldest son who arrived the end of 2016 and my youngest son who arrived the end of 2021. This also goes for my other grandparents who’d previously passed sooner than expected.

This is the core of what reignited my interest in health, and what led me to get serious about my own wellness. I decided that I didn’t want to leave here before my time. I wanted to be around to see my firstborn, and now my second son, grow up into the men I hope and know they will become. Especially considering that I'll be 40 soon. 

I’ve found that it’s both simple and very hard, though. Simple because I generally know what I need to do, and hard because our daily lives typically directly contradict healthy leaving. We’re up really early getting ourselves ready for work and our kids ready for daycare and school. We endure grueling commutes to the office. We’re bombarded with fast-food and takeout images all day long, and just generally crunched for time. So exactly how are we supposed to get in shape, eat better and stay mentally, emotionally, and spiritually balanced through all of this?