Day 2760

I continue to be amazed at the human body's ability to repair itself. Medical advances have made a huge impact on our lives, but the body is still there in the background, doing the lion's share of the work itself. Cuts heal. Bones fuse back together. White cells surround bacteria and viruses. And our liver and kidneys work tirelessly to filter out all the bad stuff we ingest. Wouldn't it be amazing if everything else worked the same way? We would have cars that repair themselves and computers that get smarter as you use them and never crash. As my own body continues to heal, I am reminded how important it is to take care of it.

I've always been reasonably healthy, but I could do a lot better. If I had eliminated sugar from my diet years ago, I would probably never have to worry about diabetes. If I hadn't been so fond of cheeseburgers and bacon, I probably wouldn't have to be taking statins to manage my cholesterol. It's not that it is terribly hard to do the right thing, it's that we receive very little encouragement for making the effort.

Hey, why have a plate of beans and rice when you can go to the Cheesecake Factory and eat enough to feed a family of four in a single sitting. I spent a lifetime in advertising encouraging people to drink Pepsi and eat cheeseburgers. It was my job to glorify all the wrong things. Now, I wonder if it is even possible to reverse all this. When you go to the supermarket, most of the things on the shelves aren't even real food. When you go to a hospital, you still see nurses and technicians standing outside smoking cigarettes. I don't even understand why substance abuse is a problem. Why would you want to punish your body like that?

When my body has finally finished repairing the dog bite damage, I need to resolve to take better care of it. Fewer prepared foods and restaurant meals would be a good place to start. Even the best restaurant chefs are in love with sugar and salt. Admittedly, salt does make food taste better, but there's got to be a better way. It wouldn't kill me to give up red meat entirely. Some of my favorite dishes don't have any meat in them at all. I think I eat a lot of meat just out of habit.

I need to be careful about falling and I should quit climbing up on the roof entirely. One fall off the roof would probably do a lot more damage than a dog bite. I shouldn't become fearful of living though. Too many people my age have become fearful of the world around them. They probably should just turn off the television.

I'm full of good intentions, but we'll see how much of this turns into reality. I still had bacon with my breakfast this morning and spent way too much time looking at Facebook. I'll start walking again as soon as I can because I love to walk. It will take a little longer to give up cheeseburgers and go to the gym three times a week.

I take my last antibiotic pill tonight. Hopefully, that will be enough to eliminate the risk of infection. The hematoma has subsided enough on my swollen leg that I can start to see veins again. I even wrote tonight's blog post without using the splint on my wrist. These are all good signs.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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