“Refuse to fall down. If you cannot refuse to fall down, refuse to stay down. If you cannot refuse to stay down, lift your heart toward heaven, and like a hungry beggar, ask that it be filled, and it will be filled. You may be pushed down. You may be kept from rising. But no one can keep you from lifting your heart toward heaven.” – Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés
God, Satan, and Our Health
And God populated the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.
And Satan created McDonald’s. And McDonald’s brought forth the double-cheeseburger. And Satan said to Man, “You want fries with that?” And Man said, “Super size them.” And Man gained pounds.
And God created the healthful yogurt, that Woman might keep her figure that man found so fair. And Satan brought forth chocolate. And Woman gained pounds. And God said, “Try my crispy fresh salad.” And Satan brought forth ice cream. And Woman gained pounds.
And God said, “I have sent your heart healthy vegetables and olive oil with which to cook them.” And Satan brought forth chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained pounds and his bad cholesterol went through the roof.
And God brought forth running shoes and Man resolved to lose those extra pounds. And Satan brought forth cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil to change channels between ESPN and ESPN2. And Man gained pounds.
And God said, “You’re running up the score, Devil.” And God brought forth the potato, a vegetable naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fat fried them. And he created sour cream dip also.
And Man clutched his remote control and ate the potato chips swaddled in cholesterol. And Satan saw and said, “It is good.” And Man went into cardiac arrest. And God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery. And Satan created Insurance Companies, HMOs, and PPOs.
The Key is to Do Something
“The time to act is now. You can’t start tomorrow and you can’t start ‘someday.’ ‘Someday’ is usually a euphemism for ‘never.’ Milestones are achieved one step at a time. So decide what the first step will be and take it. And remember, don’t mistake the difficult for the impossible. Inch by inch, life is a cinch. Big achievements often start with small steps. The key is to do something. Now. Today.” – Nido Qubein
Valentine’s Day Dream
While Emma and her husband are having breakfast the morning of Valentine’s Day, Emma lovingly looks into Jim’s eyes. She says, “I had a dream that you gave me a pearl necklace for Valentine’s Day. What do you think it means?”
“You’ll know tonight.” Jim said with a smile. That evening, Jim came home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, Emma opened it – only to find a book entitled “The Meaning of Dreams”.