Be the change you want to see in the World

I will take a little break from anatomy this week since summer is here and so is the summer reading list!

My 12 year old was assigned to read “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective TEENS, The Ultimate Teenager Success Guide” by Sean Covey.

 

Yes, his first self-help book. Needless to say we were both a little hesitant. My son said, “Just the title makes me feel inferior.” And I thought “Do I really want to hear more about the difficulty of parenting a teenager?”

 

I decided to kill 2 birds with one stone by taking a walk with my sons and reading as we went. This way if all went awry at least I wouldn’t miss out on my morning walk. It’s nice to report the book was fun and sparked some insightful and entertaining conversations. We had a successful summer morning and it turned out to be a nice bonding time with my tween.

 

This morning we started out again. In Part II, the author referred to a writing from an Anglican bishop:

 

 

When I was young and free and my

imagination had no limits, I dreamed of

changing the world;

As I grew older and wiser I realized the

world would not change.

 

And I decided to shorten my sights

somewhat and change only my country.

But it too seemed immovable.

 

As I entered my twilight years, in one last

Desperate attempt, I sought to change

only my family, those closest to me, but

Alas they would have none of it

 

And now here I lie on my death bed and

realize (perhaps for the first time) that if

only I’d change myself first, then by

example I may have

influenced my

family and with their encouragement

 and support, I may have bettered

my country, and who knows I may have

changed the world.

 

 

Oh yes, I remember my collegian efforts to save the world, or at least the United States. Now I’m striving to advise my physical therapy patients to do their home exercise program.

 

The writing above reminds me that in order to be more successful in creating a “compliant patient”, I need to be an example. I must set aside time to do my own daily routine, even just 5 min. In addition to their HEP (home exercise program), I remind my clients and patients to eat more veggies (organic if possible), drink water, exercise regularly and get a good night sleep. It’s the little steps that are most important for healing.

 

Finding a little time for myself and eating more vegetables are my two on-going aspirations as well. I have a very brown thumb yet I continue to grow a garden year after yeat. Perhaps my little garden will inspire people to plant their own gardens. Our first year, we harvested one strawberry and a lot of rotten carrots. Last year we grew about 3 snow peas and 3 strawberries. This year, our third year, has been a success. So far we have harvested 3 cucumbers, two strawberries and one watermelon. We have 5 watermelons and 20 large green tomatoes growing, I am hopeful they will ripen. Yes, it took us a while but we will slowly get there and perhaps one day feed our neighbor and some day the world home-grown fruits and veggies. Again, small steps, one strawberry at a time.

 

So instead of adding to your home exercise program, this week my wellness inquiry is to ask yourself if what you want to see more of in the world (your partner, your clients, etc.) is growing in you. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the World.”