Sometimes, I just don’t get it! Let me give you an example. My patient is 60 years old. He lives in an older section of Lake Zurich in a house that is 50 years old. His lawn is beautifully manicured and landscaped. His house is freshly painted. The roof has recently been upgraded; the windows caulked.
The inside of his house is immaculate. Anything that breaks gets immediately repaired or replaced. The 50+ year-old kitchen functions just as good today as it did when it was new. The plumbing was updated two years ago.
In his two-car garage sits two beautiful cars. The 1998 Oldsmobile is in pristine shape. The 2006 Ford still purrs. Oil changes are done on a regular basis. Brakes and tires are checked on a schedule. As you can see, my patient believes in keeping his belongings in tip top shape.
So why am I confused? What’s not to understand? Let me share some more facts with you. My patient is in lousy shape! His frame has spread in all directions and he weighs in at 240 pounds. His chassis (back) is full of arthritis and the muscles that are supposed to support it have been neglected for decades.
He has heart disease (plumbing), diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He has an irregular heart rate called atrial fibrillation (electrical system) caused by his alcohol intake. While he puts only the best gas in his cars, he puts fast food crap in his belly.
I get that it is important to take good care of your house. You live in it! I get that it makes good sense to take care of your car. You drive around in it. What I don’t get is how you can totally ignore and abuse your body. After all, your soul lives in it!
Unfortunately, my patients don’t get it. One day, my patient’s beautiful home will have a hospital bed in it. One day his family will wheel him in a wheelchair to the kitchen to eat. One day, his family will mourn his loss in an immaculate, well kept, old house.
Take better care of yourself than you take of your property or pay the price! By the way, this patient profile is all too common in my practice!
