Eating/Drinking One's Self to Death

Think it can't be done? Well, one of our residents here seems to be making a valiant attempt to do just that. In this park we have more opportunities to overeat than most other places on earth. We have regular potlucks which is nothing more than a monstrous buffet. We have hamburger dinners every 2 weeks and luncheons every Tuesday. We have donuts and coffee in the clubhouse every Saturday and even the occasional full breakfast. Then, of course, there was the cruise where food reigned 24 hours a day. There are also countless groups of people heading out to eat meals at restaurants every day.

The resident mentioned is a very nice man who loves (or lives) to eat. It's been noticed that he eats extremely large portions at every function and then even brags about the enormous quantities he consumes daily. He was a heart attack waiting to happen. He was taken to the hospital yesterday with a racing heartbeat and the doctors are keeping him in intensive care while they complete their tests. It all really makes me wonder why we abuse our bodies so badly.

A lady stopped by for a surprise visit yesterday and somehow we got onto the topic of drinking too much booze. She is a lovely, well put-together lady who no-one (not even me) would ever know is a very heavy drinker. During our conversation she confessed that she drinks 8-9 alcoholic beverages every day...and does so because she has to. But she emphasized that she isn't an alcoholic. Because we don't know each other very well, I think she was using me as a sounding board. I wish I'd had the strength to advise her to get help with her problem but I didn't. It wasn't the right time, I guess.

I'm still on my potato chip/french fry free diet. This is my feeble attempt to make myself a bit healthier and I hope it helps. I feel good but just have to look in the mirror to see how I've abused this poor old body. We all have our demons in some form and have to deal with them the best we can. Instead of turning to booze or infidelity when I had my life struggles, I turned to potato chips. Isn't that silly?

I've never advocated being a vegetarian or exercising until there isn't an ounce of fat left on your body but there has to be a happy medium. If I had it to do over again I'd be more aware of my body needs instead of taking it for granted. This old body is the only thing we have to get us around and we might be able to replace a few worn out parts but the chassis is with us for life.