Making a choice

"Good health is a duty to yourself, to your contemporaries,  to your inheritors, to the progress of the world. ~Gwendolyn Brooks

 

"Good health is a duty to yourself, to your contemporaries,

 to your inheritors, to the progress of the world. ~Gwendolyn Brooks

In my speech classes my students have to select a goal they want to achieve by the end of the semester.  Then during the semester they give three well researched presentations about that topic including; an informative, a demonstration and a persuasive speech.  My students have chosen a broad spectrum of goals this semester ; ranging from  learning to play the Ukulele, to starting a business. Many of my students have chosen a goal having to do with health.  We just finished up the informative speeches. 

One of my students, Marlene, began her presentation with a PowerPoint slide listing these health issues: Stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, kidney failure, elevated blood pressure.  She let us look over the list for a minute before uttering her first words: "Do you know what has been attributed to causing these health issues?" .........Her next slide showed a big can of Coca Cola

Marlene confided that she consumes well over a liter of soda a day.  Her goal is to give up drinking coke altogether by the end of the semester.  She told us there are many times where she goes for weeks without having a single sip of water.   Marlene had tried to quit sodas before, and was unsuccessful. "But this time," she spoke emphatically, "This time, I have done the research and I have the facts...and the facts say that soda damages our body."  The class was pin drop quiet.  Marlene continuted,  "It's really scary to think the carbonated liquid that I  swallow down multiple times every day equals not only cups of corn syrup, but also is strong enough to get rid of battery acid leaking on my car's engine!."  She then went on to inform us about more research she had discovered on the harmful effects of drinking sodas.

When Marlene finished her speech many students encouraged her.  Several told of their own journey with giving up sodas...one student, Daniela,  remarked that although she wasn't a big soda drinker herself, her mother was.  She said she was really worried about her mom because she had not really been feeling well lately and some of her symptoms sounded like the ones Marlene had just been talking about..  Daniela thanked Marlene and told her she  had written all the facts down and was going to sit down with her mom as soon as she got home and share all she learned about  drinking sodas. She only hoped her mom would listen.

Another student, Jenna, began her informative speech by telling us that her motivation for the goal she selected was her 17 year old son.   She described him as being over  6 ft. tall and  barely weighing 110 pounds..  She said she is constantly telling him how much she worries about his health and urges him to eat more and try and gain more weight.  She confided, "I'm constantly nagging him because he worries me!"  She said several weeks ago she was once again on her son's case about eating more in order to be healthier.  She said her son turned to her and in a calm, loving voice  said, "Tell you what Mom, I'll try and gain weight for my health, if you'll try and lose weight for yours." Jenna said she was shocked by his response.  She knew she was overweight, but it didn't occur to her that it was something that concerned her son.  " I don't want my child worrying about my health." She explained, "It's not the job for the child to worry about their parent, it's the parent's job to worry about their kids. And I sure don't want my children worrying about some health issue  that I can actually do something about!"  Jenna paused to wipe the tears away.  "So anyway, I realize I have to make a choice and I'm choosing to lose a minimum of 10 pounds before the semester's end. Then I plan to continue losing more after that. I can do it....because I have my son to motivate me."  She went on to inform the class about healthy eating.

 Have you ever considered that taking care of your health is like our quote for the day says, not only a duty to ourselves, but others as well.  Do you have loved ones worried about your health?  If you haven't created your must list for 2014, I suggest you put ' taking steps towards better health'  right there on top.  Make a choice, and do it for a loved one!