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Greetings Southwest Health District,
When I was a child, I would crack up with laughter every time I heard my mama say, “time passes by faster when you get older.” I would say to myself, “Well that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.” Always inquisitive and analytical, I would then ask, “How could that be? Hasn’t there always been 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, and 24 hours in a day?” Ah ha! That proves it - time is going by at the rate it always has.
Unfazed, mama would just look at me and say, “You just keep on living.”
Interestingly, as I have gotten older, I now understand that time is relative; and as the years go by, the seconds, minutes and hours relative to the years seem shorter. Case in point, another year is winding down and we are about to enter our third year of Hooked on Health. How can this be? For some of us, there were not enough days in the year to really get it started and keep it going.
We didn’t track our progress this year, but that doesn’t mean that there was none made. There are still success stories out there and I would like for you to share them with us prior to this year’s kick-off. We have a few prizes for the best success stories. Feel free to include data from either or both years as long as you have maintained the achieved results. Perhaps your success may motivate others, which is really what this campaign is all about.
The wellness committee has planned an annual kick-off that is sure to top any that we’ve had thus far. The day will include an opening panel discussion featuring testimonials. Once again, there will be health screenings such as osteoporosis and blood pressure. However, due to a much lower demand, we will not have phlebotomists from Doctors’ Lab at this year’s event. For the first time, we will have special sessions on financial planning and crime prevention and safety awareness. Additionally, the day will include an array of activities including guided imagery, massage, smoking cessation classes, county extension demonstrations, line dancing, aerobics and competitive sports.
We want this day to be educational, physical, inspirational and fun. It is my sincere hope that the day will motivate and energize us, because preventing disease, injury and disability, and promoting health and wellbeing begins witheach and every one of us.
With the annual kick-off less than a month away, let’s not wait until then to be active, be positive, be tobacco free, eat healthy and get checked. Resolve today to Live Healthy and Get Hooked on Health. After all, we are not getting any younger and take it from me (and my mama) time is passing by much faster these days.
Looking forward to seeing you at the kick-off and have a safe and happy holiday season!
Jacqueline H. Grant, MD, MPH, MPA
