6. What does it mean to be healthy? #LifeWideLearning16@bhwilkoff
— Zac Chase (@MrChase) January 6, 2016
My son, Tobias, is coordinated. He intuitively knows how to throw and catch a ball. He can defend a goal. He can dance. He can run forever (seemingly) and not get tired. He does not eat or covet desserts to excess. He loves fruit and eats his vegetables without question. In other words, he is an incredibly healthy kid.
He also takes medicine for acid reflux. And he gets angry easily. He is often unkind to his sister and has to be asked multiple times to do simple tasks. Sometimes he hits. Other times, he has very little regard for his toys or other things at home. He wants to Minecraft almost all of the time. In other words, he is an incredibly healthy kid.
Healthy is a synonym for human.
If I only ascribe the positive and judgement-based aspects of being healthy to myself or others, then anything outside of those things is un-human. I am saying that being healthy can only be one thing or only can be expressed in one way. It is more than that.
Being healthy is doing what you need at the time when you need it. It is opening up yourself to all of the possibilities in front of you. It is learning from your own experience and making choices based upon that new knowledge. To be healthy is to be honest about your needs and accepting that you don’t have to be perfect to be you.
I may not always make the right choices in terms of my diet or exercise. I may not moderate my intake of alcohol. I may not always sleep enough. But, so long as I am authentic within those decisions, I will be healthy.
