THE AIR MASK

Out on a run today, I was reflecting on this day, WORLD CANCER DAY.  As I was thinking about it, I was also thinking of my own "cancer journey" and how important my health and taking care of myself is.

*SPOILER ALERT* I run marathons...I know, if you know me, that's really not a surprise or a spoiler....but running marathons mean that I usually have an active training schedule that pulls for my time.  I also have a specific nutrition and other eating program that to some spouses/significant others, might be an inconvenience.  I have such an awesome wife (she's the one who is usually preparing my food and the one at home when I'm out on a long run on the weekend) who also understands that my health is a priority.  SHE'S.THE.BEST!

So, on today's run, I thought about, "Is what I do selfish?"  "Am I only thinking about myself?"  "I could do something else that would be less time consuming with my workouts and/or my nutrition?"  When I was thinking these things, I thought about an illustration I have used for years in remembering the WHY behind what I do:  THE PLANE AIR-MASK! 

Over the years I have traveled on many planes, multiple airline, many flight segments.  On each of them, although the flight attendants pre-flight speech is slightly different, one thing that is a constant is what they say about what will happen if the cabin loses air pressure: "From the ceiling will drop the air-masks."  They go on to tell how to put it on to get the air flowing.  Then they say something VERY profound to todays blog, "IF you are traveling with small children of those who cannot help themselves, put the mask on yourself FIRST!"  Why first?  Because if you don't TAKE CARE of yourself FIRST, you will be NO GOOD to those around you!

If I don't first consider my health, not in a purely selfish way, but in a way that says, "I do this because I love my wife....I love my sons," how can I truly demonstrate my love for them?  If we are going to live our BEST YEAR YET, this also include what we do on an everyday basis FOR OTHERS!  And taking care of yourself is not just for you, but for others as well!

So today, WORLD CANCER DAY, whether you are battling, surviving, or have gone on before us....I salute you and honor you.  Let's all go out and have our BEST YEAR YET...one day at at time!