We all know of someone that has done - by way of his or her health and to the best of their ability, either by instinct or with intention - everything right.  In every way, they have made good choices.  OK, maybe they made a few bad ones here and there but, by all standards, they have lived a noble lifestyle.  They seemed to be the “picture of health”, yet at some point they were diagnosed with a serious illness or even unexpectedly passed away. I’ve seen this too many times in every age category: a perfectly formed infant who never made it outside of the womb alive; an active teenager; a fit thirty-something-year-old; a spritely senior citizen; and everything in-between.  No rhyme, no reason.  Whether it was from a disease, an accident, or a sudden, detrimental health event, they got terribly sick or died.    

A natural reaction when there is an untimely health event or demise is to go through a mental exercise looking where a chink in the armor might have been.  Did they used to drink excessively?  Oh, that explains it.  No, no, they have a skeleton in their closet…they used to smoke – that will get you every time (or will it?). They lived in a pigsty and ate a terrible diet!  They were wound too tight?  Yes, that’s it.  They were overweight.  They were skin and bones.  They were exposed through their profession to chemicals.  They had a birth defect that was undetected.  If the driver that hit them hadn’t been stoned behind the wheel, they’d still be here…

We all do it, don’t we? A form of cognitive bias, by some accounts. We try to justify the terminal illness or unanticipated death of someone, whether we knew them or not, and then breathe a sigh of relief when we can look at our own lives and say, “Whew. I’m safe because… I don’t drink like they did.  I never smoked.  I make conscientious decisions, take my vitamins, and have the perfect BMI.  I get exercise, fresh air, passed my detailed physical.  I am a defensive driver...”  Check, check, and another check - Yay me!

But then we’re confused because surely we also know of someone who drinks like a fish, unapologetically smokes like a chimney, eats junk food off of almost clean dishes, is always running full throttle on caffeine and adrenaline, walks around with nary a pulse because they’re high as a kite, or dare deviled themselves into a car accident that left the vehicle like a crushed tin can – but they had hardly a scratch. They live until they die a “natural” death at a ripe old age.  How? How is this even possible?  I thought smoking was bad for you, not to mention excessive alcohol and drugs?  Isn’t cleanliness next to godliness?  

Don’t mistake these questions as judgment.  If you’ve lived long enough, you’ll at the very least understand why some people ask them - if you haven’t already asked them yourself.  

Add to this the deck of life’s cards seemingly being stacked against us.  Toxins in the air, poisons in the water, tainted soil, frakenfoods, questionable treatments, experimental “vaccines”, withheld therapeutics, greed and power dictating what we can and can’t have at our disposal, the war against free thought, shiny pennies being thrown out to distract and mislead us, the hijacking of our consciousness – the list goes on (and on). These are all rabbit holes worth exploring but we’ll save for another time as, nevertheless, the side effects remain. 

How does this happen? Why does it happen?  Why to one and not the other? Why at all? It’s all so hard to reconcile. Very hard. To ease your heart, I’m going to give you my professional opinion.

Shit happens.

I know it is not very scientific let alone lady-like, but here’s the thing:  It’s true.  Proven throughout history, in fact.  Read the bible.  It even happens in there.

In other words, like it or not, things happen that are beyond our control or understanding. Doesn't make it right, doesn't make it good, doesn't mean there isn't a reason, or that we shouldn’t try to find out why and make changes so it doesn’t happen again. All told, we just might not fully understand or be privy to the whole picture...at least not yet.

The next natural question might be, why bother?  Why should we try to do the right thing and put forth our best effort if we feel have little to no say in the matter? Because:

• our life is a miraculous, wonder-filled gift from God and the best way to show appreciation and praise Him for such a precious allowance is to take care of it.

• there are others that we love so much that we want to have the ability to take care of them, spend quality time with them, and not put them in a position to have to clean up after intentional reckless behavior or live with the consequences of our careless lifestyle choices.

• we are fighters and the indomitable human spirit cannot be crushed or killed, even if our bodies cease to live.

• no matter how long or how short our lives may be, regardless what obstacles are thrown at us along the way, we want to be able to live this invaluable treasure of life to the fullest while enjoying the best possible health (not being miserable or unnecessarily sick) so that, in the end, we can have peace about our efforts, leave a witness to hope, and a legacy of resilience.

• if we can make things even just a little bit better for ourselves and our loved ones, it’s worth a try.

• in the end, despite what the battlefield looks like or how many casualties, God wins.

So, how do we bother?  A great attitude comes easy when everything is going well but as soon as the winds blow in the wrong direction, we can get off track and quickly lose our enthusiasm. 

Applying balance, perspective, and ample amounts of prayer makes for a powerful strategy. Think of balance as the ship, perspective as the rudder, and prayer as the wind.  With these three tools, you can navigate the waters of life - maybe even make sense of some of the occurrences and arrive safely at your destination.  It works with just about every decision including dietary and lifestyle choices.

1. Make an honest effort in your food selections and by staying active.  Don’t overdo or under-do a food, exercise, or pastime lest you fall out of balance. 

2. Don’t sweat the small stuff in an attempt to manage stress and enjoy life.  Take time to reflect on past experiences objectively, as if reading a manual of what to do and not do, and check in with trusted friends to learn from their journeys.  It will give you much needed perspective, may provide an opportunity to correct your course, and help others to do the same. 

3. In prayer, give everything to God, asking Him to take over and bring His Glory to areas where you may be lacking.  Find peace in the knowledge that this is not our home and that all things work for the good of those who love Him.

I believe St. Augustine said it best:  “We should treat our bodies as if we are going to live forever and we should treat our souls as if we are going to die tomorrow.”

Peace be with you,
Marie Stumphauzer, FNTP

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