You've Got It Goin' On!

I can tell you everything that is wrong with my body without having to look. From the way my hair behaves to that odd little left pinkie toenail, I've had decades to perfect my list of physical flaws.

When it comes to our bodies, overwhelmingly we see the glass as half empty. So let's take a moment and inventory:

Are you breathing?
Can you ingest and excrete food?
Can you embrace, kiss and otherwise express affection to those people and animals you love?
Can you get yourself from point A to point B?
Can you write, speak, sign or otherwise communicate with most of the people in your immediate environment?

If you answered "yes" to all these questions (and you did--I know who's on my mailing list!) then you are covered as far as fundamental body function is concerned.

Everything else is appearance and/or details. Sure, you might get a bit clogged in the pipes from time to time. The knees may ache on the way to point B. But once you have the basic functions down, the rest of the problems are comparatively minor, and can be solved by cheap, or even free choices: To eat the apple instead of the apple pie. To walk instead of watching the King of Queens rerun. To wear the seatbelt, to crush the cigarette, to schedule the mammogram or PSA test.

The readers of this blog have the resources to be among the healthiest and longest-living people in the history of the species. Our glasses overflow--with water, of course (or perhaps iced mint tea . . . .)