THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

 Imagine making a different decision, taking a different path; everyone has allowed this thought into their imagination.  We accept where we are but wonder where we could have been, how our life might be different had we chosen a different road.

Our major in college, our traditional behavior, our style of marriage, our tendency to live mostly in the present, plus many other major decisions we made throughout life. We think we did our best with what we had and with what our culture expected.

We now live in another day; we can pause and concentrate on the present while considering the future: staying healthy, helping family and friends, remaining curious, and continuing to develop our talents.  We no longer have to follow the path suggested by our parents or our culture.  We can make our own road.  

SUMMER SOLSTICE

 

The longest day of the year, the day with the most daylight and the shortest night, the end of spring and the beginning of summer, the moment the Earth tilts towards the Sun at its maximum in June in the Northern Hemisphere.

In the Southern Hemisphere, today is the shortest day of the year.  Imagine yourself in other parts of the world, not just to underhand our tilted Earth, but to try and understand what other humans are experiencing today and every day.

Enjoy your summer and all the other seasons.

 

RISKY BUSINESS

 Card games, lottery tickets, bets on horses or sports teams, casino visits, all take a risk to gain a possible win. Consider the odds before you put your money down for a chance towards a big reward.  Gambling often is costly and can become addictive.

How you spend your money, time, and energy can be risky business.  Your goals may be to increase your income through investments, grow your talents through time spent in lessons and practice, and put trust in others to become your friend or mate. Making the right decisions can be risky business. 

BIG PHARMA

 Many pharmaceuticals are proven to be necessary for health, prescribed by a doctor.  In some cases, drugs are taken as a shortcut instead of realizing the cause of the physical or mental problem and treating the situation with healthier methods.  And still other drugs are being abused to the detriment of physical and emotional health.  Addiction can develop. 

Notice the many pharmaceutical ads on TV.   Viewers see happy people enjoying life because they are using a particular medication.  Solve your problem with a pill or injection.  Other ads show over-the-counter products that promise to help cure many "problems."  Movies show partying means alcohol pot, and other substances.  Gummies seem like fun. 

Substances taken into our bodies like tobacco, alcohol, and drugs have been popular at various times in history.  Realize what your body really needs and stay away from dangerous products. 

CHOOSE TO NOT DRINK

Author Holly Whitaker shows how our culture promotes drinking alcohol: teens getting fake IDs, kegs of beer at frat parties, booze accompanying tailgating and sporting events, champagne toasts at celebrations, happy hours, wine before and during dinner, plus movies, media, and advertising showing drinking as normal behavior.

Our culture used to promote smoking until the public finally realized the danger to health.  No amount of tobacco or alcohol is healthy, but the public still clings to the idea that alcohol use is socially acceptable, a normal way to relax and have fun.

Whitaker lists many effects of drinking alcohol: disrupts sleep, fuels anxiety, impedes detoxification, causes weight gain, interferes with weight loss, causes facial redness and broken capillaries, messes up the brain, raises blood sugar, disrupts hormone function, linked to seven different cancers, causes premature aging, and destroys bacteria in the digestive system.  She goes into more explanation in her book.  

Some will become "heavy drinkers" defined as women drinking more than 8 drinks a week and men drinking more than 15 per week.  Drinkers may like the temporary effects of alcohol, but there are no long-term benefits.  In addition, habits form and addiction can develop.

I have never been a drinker but an observer of our culture.  Holly Whitaker helps readers understand her past lifestyle with alcohol and how she found methods to quit and ways to live and have fun without alcohol.  You can choose to not drink.