Cells

I decided to start a blog Sunday night, Aug 1, after listening to the radio. The show was "Speaking of Faith," on NPR, and the guest was a heart specialist (http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/stem-cells/). She was talking about stem cell research and regenerating organs, and she described seeing heart cells in a dish, beating - as she put it, "doing what they know how to do."
Her comment changed the way I look at my body - myself. I'm a fairly well-educated person. I've known for quite some time that all things, including organs and other bodily tissues are made up of living cells. Those die and new ones are made  - a process which slows with age. I knew it, but I didn't really KNOW it. Until listening to that radio show.
I suddenly had this impression of all these living beings that have come together in just the perfect, miraculous way, to be ... well ... to be me.
I think before, I just felt as if my body was something I carried along. If I took care of it, it didn't make me uncomfortable. If I didn't take care of it (which is more the case now), it did make me  uncomfortable. I never really felt obligated to it in any way. The only way in which I thought of it was as it related to my satisfaction.
So I got to thinking, It's a shame, the way I've treated my body. The way I've treated these tiny living organisms that work so hard just so I can live. Sure, I doubt they know that's what they're doing, but what do I know? They may KNOW universal mysteries, for all I know.
The more I thought and talked about this realization with my loving and tolerant wife (tolerant of my ramblings), the more ashamed I felt of how I'd treated each and every one of these living things that God, the universe, had made, and these things that are essential to my existence as I know myself.
The more I realized I have to change my habits.
Changing habits is hard. About 5 years ago, I quit smoking. That was hard, and it wasn't the first time I'd tried. Now, I face an ever more daunting challenge — getting my body to a healthy weight and finding a healthy diet. After all, I don't blame my body for retaliating when I fill it with trash. It's only natural. And I know that, with every greasy burger or fat-filled dessert I eat, I'm destroying cells in several parts of my body. Studies indicate this can lead to a variety of illnesses, including cancers.
It's worth pondering how we humans, known, as other animals are, for our survival instinct, have evolved into beings who happily destroy our bodies every day.
On top of that, people like me, who claim to care for life, creation and humanity, can defile one of the most miraculous creations — ourselves, down to the very cells that make up each of us — and not think twice about it. The word blasphemy comes to mind.
So with this initial blog, I'm beginning what I hope to be a life-changing endeavor to behave in a way that treats my body like the temple it is, not like the innocent bystander that falls victim to my gluttonous, hedonistic whims, as it has been in the past. I know this will be a slow, hard process. It will mean often saying, "no" to chicken wings and whoppers, and, "yes" to the veggie delite at Subway, with no cheese (that's a pretty good sandwich, actually). It will also mean drinking way less of my favorite drink — sweet tea — and drinking more water. And it will mean getting my lazy end off the couch on days off and out of bed earlier on work days to get in some exercise time.
I looked it up, and to reach my ideal weight, I need to lose at least 75 pounds. I've lost 10 pounds at a time before, and that was hard enough. And though I'm eager to get to a healthy weight again, I'd like to take it slow and develop lifelong healthy habits, and not just starve myself and drop a bunch of weight at once.
Anyone who has done this, feel free to chime in with tips. Anyone interested, feel free to follow my progress.
I'm going to weigh before my next post. Then, I will post weekly updates and other thoughts, information and challenges I face. I may even post pics throughout my progress, but I don't know if I'll subject you to that yet.
I'm hoping this process will be a life-long one (though you may be bored of the blog by that point), and I'm hoping it will bring me more peace and happiness. Who knows, if I take care of myself, maybe I can donate some of my organs when I die. We never know who might need them — maybe one of us or our kids.
Until next time, Peace.