Stewardship. The last time you likely used that word in a sentence was somewhere between a decade ago and never. A steward is a person who takes care of something. That’s all of us since everyone takes care of something. A host of items beckon for one’s care, and one’s actions reveal the relative importance of each to the individual. People expend copious amounts of time and money on houses, yards, vehicles, tools, and toys.
Many cars sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars and the purchasers spend zillions more in maintenance and insurance. Great pains are taken to ensure the smooth operation and immaculate looks of the, for instance, quarter of a million dollar Ferrari 488 GTB driven around town with great pride.
Other people relish in lavishing energy on the grounds upon which their homes sit. Manicured gardens and perfectly coiffured lawns fill countless hours of loving care.
The many other examples that could be given are not to indicate that houses, yards, vehicles and such are unimportant or to be eschewed. The point to be made is how we often focus on these other things while neglecting – often horrendously – our bodies.
The primary item we “own” in life is one’s physical self. At the root of a plethora of health problems in the U.S. are poor nutrition, lack of exercise, and intake of harmful substances. In a hefty majority of these cases, proper care of one’s physical self can mitigate or prevent harm, not to mention increasing the quality of life. Picture trying to repeatedly carry a fifty or hundred-pound weight up fourteen steps. which is what many people do daily who are that much overweight. Or look at pictures online of what longtime smokers’ lungs look like compared to healthy ones.
Why people exert so much effort on other things but do not spend a nickel’s worth of time or energy on bodily self-care is a mystery to me. But I know this for sure: proper nutrition and regular exercise lead to a healthier body, mind, and spirit. In short, life absolutely becomes more enjoyable.
