Wednesday, July 16, 2008

What's the point.........

Yesterday you may have heard both Casey and me talking about how hard it was to get out of bed in the morning, and Casey saying to himself something like, "....what's the point?"

Funny stuff.....yet it rang true for me, and I'm sure may have even rung true for you too!

In one way or another, I've said the same thing to myself just about every morning.

Not counting the fact that we all have to get out of bed and either work, or get the kids off, or whatever it is that you do in any given day......here's the point of getting out of bed and either hitting the gym, or doing whatever you do to exercise.

You're giving thanks.

Oh, I know.....you don't want me to get all spiritual on you, but it's true!

My grandmother used to say in Italian something like, "....as long as I can get out of bed in the morning...", or in other words, when I get out of bed, I'm ahead of the game.

You're giving thanks, despite whatever ailments you have, despite whatever your head is telling you about wanting to stay in bed a little longer....you're giving thanks for being housed in the body you have.

I've shared with you the fact that I don't think mine is perfect....not by a long shot. I have the love handles to work on.....not to mention the "man boobs"....and still have to work around the "polio leg". But I do appreciate what I have, and the work that I've done so far to get to where I am. In fact, as of this morning, the scale at Elite says 181. So the goal is very much in sight!


I give thanks that I'm able to see how destructive taking your good health can be. I saw that in my dad, who died at the age of 70, ravaged by diabetes that he never took care of. I saw how it caused him to loose toes.....how his circulation practically shut down....how he could barely walk; and I made a promise to myself that I would never let myself get that way. Believe it or not, he really was a healthy man, but all the bad habits he'd allowed himself throughout his life eventually took their toll. I know he could have lived past 80 if he really made the effort. But he took his good health for granted.

I can't afford to take mine for granted. As it is, my cholestoral runs high, and I need to stay on top of that daily. You, like me, can't afford the luxury of taking for granted whatever good health you have, whatever good health God, genetics, divine providence, or whatever you want to call it, has given you.

Give thanks for what you have......or in the words of William DeVaughn in that 1974 soul classic...Be Thankful for what You Got......(though you may not drive a great big Cadillac, blah , blah, blah.)

So the next time you feel like telling yourself, "...what's the point?".....just remember, the point is to be thankful that you have what you do, and work from there.


Thanks for reading this, for sharing some of your stories with me, and for your continued encouragement!



Ray

7 comments:

JackieO said...

Hey Ray your right its funny the older we get the more we appreciate different things in our life. My parents will be married 49 years on August 1 of this year. When my brother and I were discussing what could we do for them....it was simple enough for me to tell him my mother’s wishes. My parents wish is to spend time together as a family.
Years before it would have been a weekend getaway as a gift, or a trip to Vegas (that was for their 40th) My father was in an awful accident at the age of 50 damaging his legs very badly battled prostrate cancer, life threatening blood clots where we almost lost him he's now 75. He goes to work everyday swinging a hammer God bless him, he has always said "Hey I got outta bed this morning by my own 2 feet, its a beautiful day"
The real gift in life is family – what they contribute to your life and what you contribute to theirs!
Jackie O

Unknown said...

very touching..........good words and especially good health is hard to come by...........more of us are in your corner than you know....thanks for sharing

Anonymous said...

That was a great bit of Rossi-isms
Thank you for sharing that.. made my day a little less sucky

You are the best Rossi

Later

Jess

Diane said...

Hey - Reading “Whats the point “ blog is so touching and is a reminder of so many feelings and memories. I truly appreciate reading your dads story. Thank you so much for sharing from the heart.

It’s true about bad habits catching up…..it seems like before 50 yrs old all the careless stuff , like eating junk, putting on extra weight and not exercising for a period of time wasn’t so bad to live with. But now at 52 yrs old these bad habits are torture even for a short (fall off the wagon) period of time! Having Lyme Disease twice left me with a painful condition called Fibromyalgia. Some days my body (joints, muscles, tendons) hurts horrible from head to toe. Those are the days I just want to pull the covers over my head and stay in bed all day long. I can’t and won’t mainly because of family, responsibilities. I also know that I will never get out of that bed if I give in. I do give THANKS each day for having the ability to get out of bed.

I often keep my granny in mind on days I feel like crashing. She had such a lust for life and would get all decked out (jewelry, dress and perfume) just to go to the store! She would always be singing and dancing around the house while cooking or cleaning etc. ……my grandma was truly a very happy person who embraced each day of life.

I’m learning to live in the NOW! I am trying so hard not to dwell on the past or anticipate and wish unrealistically for the future, but rather embrace the present and unwrap this present like a very special gift and make the best out of it each day!

Thanks again for sharing, but most of all thanks again for reminding me “What’s the Point?”

DZ

PS Congrats on your weight loss …….WOW! …….not far from your goal! Good Luck meeting with the trainer today ! ☺

Anonymous said...

good blog ray....

im 49 now but just 5 yrs ago i was having trouble walking, then it would go away so i didnt think much of it.

well i finally went to the doc ALL MY WIFE AND I HEARD WERE M.S.
geez at 43, but i was still getting around with out notice..

that was 03, fast forward to 008
im totally unable to walk or work, i was a forktruck driver at colgate/palmolive in morristown nj.

i couldnt wait til the end of the week and talk about having busy/bad days

couldnt wait to RETIRE.
06 HAD PROSTATE CANCER
really knocked me for a loop.

well now my wish to retire has arrived. damn i miss driving down 78 then 287, never thought id EVER miss any of it
WELL id take it all back with a huge smile.
fell last yr broke my shoulder,

my poor wife is a saint.
i WAS a drummer , homebrewer. now i just excist.

your blog really hit me.
people that just driving sucks or just jumping up to to something is a pain, its not

jackieo your blog was also good

Rob said...

Ray, you and Dennis absolutely have the GAY VOTE in NJ for Hottest Daddy look going.. Love your show and keep up the good work.. spreading the word in NJ to get your Gay following growing..!

Sir Frederick of Hollywood said...

Ray, I've listened to you since you were at the country station in New York. I've always appreciated your sense of humor as well as your sense of compassion for others. You are right when you say it is a blessing when you are able to get up and out of bed in the morning. It really does mean that you have for the most part, your health, not to mention a purpose in life. Like you father, I too have diabetes. I do try to take care of myself, I do my insulin shots and pills when I am supposed to and do go to the doctor on a regular basis. I could use to loose about 120 pounds and am considering Lapband surgery. I do understand where you are coming from when you say that you want to get in shape not just for you but for your loving family. I wish you the best