I Am Appreciative of "Choose Well"

I used to be motivated by the idea of being perfect. When I would fail, I would be discouraged, feeling so far from the target (This was true in so many areas of my life). Four years ago I went on a journey with my father and his rehabilitation from heart disease. At the time of his experiences of chest pain, I wasn’t a nurse and I was oblivious to the seriousness of the disease. However, all I knew is that by being his support with eating and lifestyle habits, he felt like he could be more successful. I lived about 1 hour and 20 minutes away from him, so we were on the phone and email as much as we could. We kept each other accountable with eating clean, being active and staying true to our values and beliefs; For us that was our relationship with our creator. We would document back and forth our meal plans for the day and fine-tune this green smoothie drink that was my dads prized poisson; This drink was full of good fats, deep/Nutritious greens, and low glycemic fruit. We started seeing progress, he was happier and losing weight and I had a mental clarity that I thought was only possible with coffee. There were times where my dad would be upset, because I would “catch him” eating pizza, drinking beer, having ice-cream etc. But it was all accountability in love. F or my dad, eating healthy was easier, but it was the binge eating and proportions that I think ultimately ended his life. After time, it was too much for his body to handle. It was four years this september when I got a call from work, saying that he hadn’t showed up. We asked the local fire department to go to his home. To my horror, my dad had passed to what they identified as a heart attack. They searched and made sure it wasn’t foul play, because from the paramedics perspective, he seemed to be a healthy man with all the healthy food stocked in his fridge. The reason I am sharing this, is OT to emphasize ont the tragedy, but to paint a picture of the struggle and reality of life and our decisions. I believe that if it wasn’t my dads time, he would still be here today. I also believe that our decisions can effect our quality of life. Its those little daily decisions that impact us later in life; It is always fun experiencing the immediate effects of some like drinking water and getting enough sleep. Selfishly, so many events like getting married, having a new young one in the family are all void of my father.- the thought that he could be around isn’t something to dwell on, but its good to keep perspective. I am appreciative of “choose well’” because it encourages and motivates all* people from all* walks of life to take little steps towards a better quality of life. Not to mention its fun and a good challenge to have with friends. In some ways, the connection and challenge to have with other friends and colleges reminds me of when my dad and I used to keep each other accountable. I am grateful for that.