It’s great to have a Protector. It’s such a romantic ideal. However, we have a responsibility to ourselves to protect ourselves, to protect our health.

Adversaries

Adversaries come in many forms. There are the obvious “bad guys and gals”, they’re sort of a “Duh.”. Nobody in their right mind will allow themselves to be victimized by a criminal. I have heard people say that they couldn’t defend themselves…seriously? If you are not physically capable of defense, that’s understandable, for a season. Unless your health is such that you don’t see how that is ever possible, and you actually believe that you are not capable of self defense, I strongly advise that you get some instruction in this area. You simply must be able to take a stand if it’s called for. Do try to avoid dangerous situations but do not live in fear. Fear has torment. Do not live in torment.

Frenemies

Oh. My. Goodness. … Honestly, these people can hurt you more in the long run than a criminal. The “bad guy/gal” is easy to spot and automatically gets your defenses up. You flee or fight. You give it all you’ve got either way if you’re smart. You PROTECT yourself from an obvious assault, but these people who are supposed to be on your side and try to sabotage your efforts to be healthy are dangerous in a whole different way. They are like trans fats…they seem okay, smooth and silky sweet going down, like pastry…and…just like sugar-laden pastry, poison your system, make you sick and eventually take your life. Why they do this is irrelevant. We could debate that at length. It doesn’t matter. It’s usually some form of jealousy and insecurity but the outcome is the same regardless of the cause. You skip workouts, you eat garbage, you get unhealthy. They stress you out. You get high blood pressure or high cholesterol numbers. They distract you. You lose your focus. They make everything all about them. You feel guilty for taking care of yourself. Lose them. Walk away. Fix your life. There are extenuating circumstances occasionally, but rarely. In most cases, just run, for your life, yes…for your life.

Just Say No

My dad is a powerhouse. He never get’s tired of serving others. His whole life is based on helping people. He taught me that sometimes you have to say “NO!” Sometimes it’s friends or family members wanting you to do something for them that they perceive as simple, but it takes a long time, time that you need for yourself. You may need to sleep, or work out or grocery shop or just have down time. They don’t see your need. In those times, you must fend for yourself. These decisions will ultimately affect your health in a big way for the better or the worse. It’s up to you. Sometimes it’s an employer wanting unnecessary overtime. Sometimes it may be your place of worship wanting you to serve on one more committee. Whatever is demanding time that you need for you, learn to say “No!”. It’s not selfish. It’s self care and believe me, you are the only one who is going to do it.

Joy

We discuss sleep a lot. Yes, it’s critical and cannot be overemphasized, however… joy comes from playtime and joy is necessary for optimum health. Find something that you enjoy doing and do it. Don’t sit around and daydream about doing it, do it! Fantasy is a great developer of ideas but fantasy alone won’t fill your heart with joy. Get out there or stay in there or go over there and do the thing that lights you up. You probably know what it is. Get a goal. Make a way. If it’s legal and will not hurt anyone else or get you killed, go for it. Life is short. Live your dream, just make sure that you are still taking care of your health. Some things are simply not worth the risk. Evaluate the situation and if your heart’s desire is pure joy, safe for you and harmless to others, reassess your priorities. You may be missing your playtime. ;-*