The history of the American flag is quite an incredible story to not only read about, but to also learn about. The collective red and white horizontal stripes representing the thirteen British colonies that sought and obtained their independence from Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War and the 50 small white 5-pointed stars representing our great 50 states. While the history and story of our flag could and does fill volumes, I’ll just impart a few little thoughts here.

While Christmas shopping a few weeks ago, a little boy, no older than about 5 or 6, was running around a garden center waving a small American flag. I smiled to myself as I watched him as it’s not something you see every day. After a while, he got bored with it as another bauble caught his eye and he dropped the flag on the ground. At that age, he obviously knew no better, so I calmly walked over, picked the flag up off the ground, rolled it up and placed it gently on the counter. His father saw me do this (he didn’t see his son drop the flag) and began profusely apologizing to me. I simply replied, “Sir, absolutely no problem, he’s just a little boy.” What happened next was just awesome. The father knelt down, called his son over to him and explained that the American flag should never touch the ground. He went on to tell his son that nothing should ever be below it and it should never get dirty or damaged. He then smiled at his son and said “Ok, bud?.” His son then smiled back and replied, “Yes Dad, sorry.” His dad then looked up at me and smiled and I smiled back, trying to hold back the tears. It was moment in time that I will never, ever forget.

I have my father’s casket flag (he was a WWII vet who served in many locales overseas) neatly folded in its representative tri-corner manner (meant to resemble a tri-cornered Revolutionary War hat) displayed in a beautiful handmade white oak case. It sits on a table in my apartment with a few other military mementos and is always in my view. I recently moved into my bosses’ old office at work and he also had a small, folded flag in a case which was found tucked away in some old closet in our building many years ago. We have absolutely no idea whose flag it was, what its meaning was or if it came from a military funeral, but here it sits. My boss knows about my background and he gave me the encased flag to put in my new office. I was and am very honored to have it…and, it is pictured below. While I don’t know the owner of this flag, it is being displayed with honor, respect, reverence, and admiration for whomever or wherever it came from.

To leave you with what I believe is the best description of our beloved flag, are the lyrics of the song “Ragged Old Flag,” written by Johnny Cash in 1974, during one of the most turbulent times in our history, (which coincidentally was the year I joined the United States Marine Corps).

I walked through a county courthouse square
On a park bench an old man was sitting there
I said, your old courthouse is kinda run down
He said, naw, it’ll do for our little town
I said, your old flagpole has leaned a little bit
And that’s a ragged old flag you got hanging on it

He said, have a seat, and I sat down
Is this the first time you’ve been to our little town?
I said, I think it is
He said, I don’t like to brag
But we’re kinda proud of that ragged old flag

You see, we got a little hole in that flag there when
Washington took it across the Delaware
And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key
Sat watching it writing say can you see
And it got a bad rip in New Orleans
With Packingham and Jackson tuggin’ at its seams

And it almost fell at the Alamo
Beside the texas flag, but she waved on though
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill
There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg
And the south wind blew hard on that ragged old flag

On Flanders field in World War one
She got a big hole from a Bertha gun
She turned blood red in World War Two
She hung limp and low a time or two
She was in Korea and Vietnam
She went where she was sent by Uncle Sam

She waved from our ships upon the Briny foam
And now they’ve about quit waving her back here at home
In her own good land here she’s been abused
She’s been burned, dishonored, denied, and refused

And the government for which she stands
Is scandalized throughout the land
And she’s getting threadbare and wearing thin
But she’s in good shape for the shape she’s in
‘Cause she’s been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more

So we raise her up every morning
We take her down every night
We don’t let her touch the ground and we fold her up right
On second thought, I do like to brag
‘Cause I’m mighty proud of that ragged old flag

I would ask that in your travels over the holidays or at any time, if you see our flag raised high on a pole, hanging from someone’s home or building, or if it is displayed in some other manner, take a moment, and think about what it means…

The blood that was shed for it in conflicts near and far and for those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for it while serving our great country. The Star Spangled Banner always holds a special place for me and every time I hear it, a tear is always shed.

I’ll leave you with this…

If you’re reading this blog from inside the United States (or if you’re an American not presently in country) you’re here because of this flag and what it represents. Your freedoms, all you have and all you ever will have are because of this beautiful piece of colored cloth.

Please, please hold it with reverence.

It deserves at least that much.

Travelling to Center City Philadelphia each day for work is becoming quite wearisome. As you can well imagine, public transportation, the trains, train stations and that environment in general have within it a certain atmosphere that leaves much to be desired. The constant begging for money, rampant and open drug use, syringes laying on the ground, homelessness, obvious mental health issues and other things much too disgusting to mention here are all pretty much the daily fare. Fortunately, my military and law enforcement background has trained me to be in a constant state of situational awareness and I try and have eyes in the back of my very bald head, at just about every moment. I trust absolutely no one walking the streets and I am always on alert. Things can happen in a millisecond and I almost always “have a plan.” I know this is a difficult way to live each day, but it is just the reality of working in an exceptionally large American city. I chose this and have resigned myself to it…but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. I’ve just adapted.

Each day I often wonder how much longer I can do this. It’s been almost 7 years working in the most historic part of our country (I work about a block from Independence Hall and also did a 3-year stint at Pennsylvania Hospital back in the mid 2000’s) and I still find that I pretty much dislike the city. While the restaurants and nightlife can be quite nice at times, I don’t particularly prefer it. In my head, I’m playing with a 2-year plan for retirement and may attempt to go part time, but that remains to be seen. Don’t get me wrong, I do very much enjoy my job, but it wouldn’t take much for me to head to the door if I was disrespected or ill-treated by someone in a higher place of authority, (actually, this was exactly why I left Pennsylvania Hospital, but that for another time).

Last week, while walking to the train station, I came across what looked to be about a 50 to 60-year-old man passed out on the sidewalk. The temperature outside was about 30 degrees. Three or four other people had also stopped and I asked if anyone had called 911. One young lady was just getting on her phone and I stooped down to check his carotid pulse. It was extremely weak, and he was cold, sweaty, clammy, and barely breathing. His face color was gray. I did an extremely hard sternum rub on his chest to see if he would stir or awaken, but he did not. I feared for the worse. I rattled off his issues to the young woman who was relaying them to the ambulance dispatcher and a few moments later we could hear the sirens approaching. The two paramedics jumped in to do their job and two large doses of Narcan did absolutely nothing. One paramedic checked the man’s wrist and there were hospital bracelets on him. Then he said to his partner, “Hey, I know this guy, it’s Mike.” We got him onto the stretcher and off they went. All I could do was walk away and say a prayer for the guy.

Now, with all that said, you might think “you’re crazy for doing this every day.” And, you might be right. However, I’m where I’m at for a reason. As I said, I chose this and at the present time, I’m not being led to retire or head to the door anytime soon. I firmly believe we’re placed in certain situations, places and circumstances for specific reasons we may not yet know. And, what I have learned during my time in the city is that while the aforementioned descriptors of what I deal with each day seem terrible and repulsive, I believe this is my place…for “such a time as this.” So, what does all this mean? I believe it means that God has not relieved me of my responsibilities here just yet. It means that, for whatever reason, He has me here for a purpose. His purpose. And, I am sure when he relieves me of this responsibility, he’ll hopefully make it clear to me.

I do know one thing however…in my time working in the city, I never, ever look upon others with disdain or with contempt. Quite the opposite, as I have grown to have an affinity for and a certain empathy for those less fortunate than I. We’re called to “pray ceaselessly” and I find myself doing just that on almost a daily basis. I’ve said it before, this has absolutely nothing to do with religion, just a simple spiritual connection.

So, here I am. I will stay as long as I’m supposed to and will hopefully know when it’s time to leave…we’ll see. I certainly do not know why you may be in the position, place or circumstance you’re presently in, and it may be much worse or much better than mine. Just know that sometimes, there is a reason.

I have accepted mine.

Maybe think about yours?

I recently saw a successful businessman being interviewed who explained something in such a simple way that it really got me thinking about my everyday existence and how I view the exterior world around me as it relates to who I am, how I can be more observant, but more importantly how I can be more receptive and attentive to seeing opportunities. Trying to be more “observant” in our daily life kind of sounds like something a motivational speaker or even your boss might say to you, but this conversation’s comparison had a bit more meat and substance to it as I’ll try to explain.

The businessman asked the interviewer, “how many red cars did you see on your way to work today?”. The interviewer was silent until he said a moment later, “I have no idea”. The businessman then said, “totally understandable…but if I asked you to count all the red cars on your way to work tomorrow, you’d show up with a specific number, wouldn’t you”? The interviewer replied “yes”. The businessman went on to explain that as we go through our daily lives, the “red car” question is an analogy as to how many opportunities we either see or don’t see every day. The vast majority of people live their everyday (mostly mundane) lives going through the motions, not really observing, or even looking for opportunities. We’re just not seeing. Or worse yet, we just don’t care or have any interest in seeing. Our lives are filled with the ordinary, the routine, the banal and the predictable goings on of our existence. Let’s get through this day, this week, this year, our lives. We miss the red cars. And, we miss life.

I thought to myself, OK, so, what opportunities? What am I missing? What am I not noticing? Now, I pretty much consider myself to be an extremely observant person. This comes from decades and decades of intense law enforcement and tactical training and the ability to spot danger or the possibility of danger as I am always present in my daily life in this environment. Conversely, I also try and observe opportunities for being and expressing kindness where and when I believe it needs expressing. It’s just something I’ve always done and I’m grateful God has instilled this in me.

However, as I thought through the issue more deeply, I realized I need to step up my game.

While this “red car” correlation is not something new and has been around awhile, I thought it something worthwhile to write about and maybe flesh out some deeper implications. I believe the opportunities we miss every day span a great deal larger than we may think. That said, I’ve spent the past few days compiling a list of some things I believe we can look for and try and capitalize on as we walk through our day.

Take a moment to check them out…

Opportunities for enterprise (is this something that I could benefit from financially, or start a business with?)

Opportunities for expressing kindness (and helping those less fortunate) and/or giving a compliment.

Opportunities for creating good relationships.

Opportunities for saying “thank you” more often.

Opportunities for saying “I’m sorry, I was wrong” (and meaning it without the “but”).

Opportunities for showing up on time and being mentally and physically present.

Opportunities for practicing active listening without interrupting.

Opportunities for following your dreams or goals (see opportunities for enterprise).

Opportunities for being a mentor.

Opportunities for learning something new or a new skill (practice is the key here!).

Opportunities for learning and using other people’s names.

Opportunities to pay things forward (at the checkout counter, at the drive through, etc.).

Opportunities to ask for help with something (this list could be long).

Opportunities to read and/or journal more.

Opportunities to TURN OFF THE TV more (see the above).

Opportunities to exercise more, eat better and create a more healthful you and being more active.

Opportunities to work more on your hobbies.

Opportunities to either pray or meditate daily.

Opportunities for go on news fasts (I know, this is a hard one).

Opportunities to create healthier social circles and connecting with other people.

Opportunities to quash any negativism you are thinking of saying or even doing.

Opportunities to be grateful for the life you are living and the life you’ve been given.

Opportunities to smile more.

Opportunities to practice breath work (there are tons of info about this on the ‘net…the one I like is called 4 second box breathing and I do it a lot).

Opportunities to acknowledge unhappy moments in your life, learn from them and move past them.

Opportunities to forget the past…this has been a life killer of so many people. Realize it is gone, you can’t change them. Learn from your life’s unfortunate past moments and move on.

Opportunities to avoid comparing yourself to other people.

Opportunities to avoid toxicity and/or toxic people in your life.

Opportunities to declutter your surroundings (this is a big one too…I’ve been practicing minimalism for years and it is absolutely awesome!).

Opportunities to get into nature more.

Opportunities to let go of grudges and forgive (this is for you, not them).

Opportunities to plan trips.

Ok, I know that was a lot. Please don’t get overwhelmed and try them all at once…you’ll make yourself crazy!!! There are obviously a ton more, but think of your own and work them into your lives.

Take just one or two (or, three) and try them…create good habits. Then return to the list and see what more you can do.

I’ve committed myself to seeing more opportunities in my daily life. Even at my age, I am totally against the phrase “I’m too old to do this or that”.  No, I’m just at the right age to give it a shot and try! And, I hope you will too!

Walk through your day looking for opportunities…because believe me, they WILL present themselves!

(the job site “Indeed” has a great link to some pretty cool quotes for life and work opportunities and you can check them out here: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/quotes-on-opportunities )

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the prolific Russian writer, believed in justice. He also believed that human beings were, in their basic nature, good, but that social circumstances could distort them, ruin them. And, that governments had much to do with this distortion. I recently came across one of his quotes that so reflects what I believe we are experiencing in today’s socio-economic political climate, whether it be right, left or centric. This blog post is a continuation of my prior one called “Safety”…

“We know that they are lying,

they know that they are lying,

they even know that we know they are lying,

we also know that they know we know they are lying too,

they of course know that we certainly know they know we know they are lying too as well, but they are still lying.

In our country, the lie has become not just moral category, but the pillar industry of this country.”

― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

For those of you who have read any of my blog posts, you know I have an absolute, unequivocal disdain for politics. While people in office may start out with “good intentions”,  I firmly believe that all politicians eventually rule for their own benefit. And, money and power being the base for these beliefs. Just look at any politician’s net worth prior to getting into public office, then look at it a few years later. Insider trading (being just one such vehicle for this), is apparently so rampant in Washington, that an elected official initially making a few hundred thousand dollars a year, can and usually does turn it into millions during their tenure. Hmmm…wonder how THAT happens?

Politicians on both sides of the aisle coddle and pander to their respective bases with promises of delivering them to the land of milk and honey while easing their struggles with tax cuts, lower consumer prices, providing general all encompassing “wellbeing” and personal safety. This last being the one I struggle with the most. Then, once in office, none of their promises are not, if ever kept.

The saber rattling, conflicts and wars currently going on in most any country in the world tells us that at any time, the U.S. could again be embroiled in some other country’s affairs where we really have absolutely no business being. Again, follow the money…it’s not that hard to do. Just seeing who is greasing who’s palm. We’ve spent hundreds of billions of dollars in other countries, yet here in our own country have rampant homelessness, veteran and public servant mental health and suicide crises and open borders all the while the politicians constantly belly aching about needing more money. It’s just too obscene to even try to attach an explanation to it. Their mantra always being “we need to help those less fortunate!”. Really? Try getting out of your ivory tower chair and look out the window into your own backyard…you’ll see plenty. But, those needing the most help are usually not their voting base…they gotta’ keep their jobs ya’ know!

So, back to safety. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety”. There is a lot to that statement, but I’ll keep it in the realm of safety. Many people love the idea of big government and relying on that government to provide them personal safety. The problem is that the government doesn’t really care one iota about your safety. Theirs, yes…yours, no. Any catastrophic national emergency will send all those politicians quickly scrambling to the safety of their bunkers somewhere beneath the streets of Washington DC, or some other secret location in the country.

Would you like to know who deeply cares about your safety? It is your military, law enforcement and public safety men and women. They are the ones on the front lines every day, putting their lives on the line so you can rest easy at night.

I recently read a book called “Defend Us In Battle”. It is the story of Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor, who, died while serving in Ar Ramadi, Iraq in September 2006. He and several of his teammates were laying on a squalid, 110-degree rooftop, covering and protecting the patrols in the streets below, when an enemy grenade was lobbed over top of the roof, hitting Monsoor in the chest and landing on the floor. He immediately fell upon the grenade, shielding his teammates from taking the brunt of the explosion. He died 30 minutes later. It is truly an incredibly inspiring story and a book worthy of a read.

These are the true heroes who provide your safety. Just as the police officers who rush to the report of a domestic dispute or armed robbery and who are fired upon and shot as they arrive. Or, the firemen running into a burning building to rescue trapped occupants and die in the process when the building collapses. Or, the EMS personnel at the scene of any of the aforementioned situations, who take a stray bullet trying to save the lives of those they’re sworn to protect and provide medical attention to. THESE are the real heroes and these are the ones that provide you with safety. Believe me, it is not some talking head standing in front of a podium espousing how they’re going to “protect” you from the other political party who are trying to “take away” one of your freedoms. Or that they’re going to impeach this one or criminally charge that one or conduct an investigation into the personal lives of some innocent citizen to keep you safe. This is an insanity that knows no bounds.

There is a statement that was written many decades ago (the author of which is up for speculation), that reads, “People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf”. This could not be any truer in the descriptions of the few scenarios previously written about our beloved military service members, police, firemen and women and EMS personnel. Make no mistake, these are the “rough” men and women who are ready to do violence on your behalf while you sleep…it is NOT some empty suit on Capitol Hill.

So, the thought of choosing some babbling politician to protect you is hard. But being and/or choosing the men and women sworn to protect you in battle both here and abroad, in some people’s minds, may also be hard.

Choose your hard.

One of my best friends is dying and in hospice. We had the chance to visit with Craig and his wife Gwenn this past weekend so we could say our goodbyes and share well over 50 years of wonderful, sad, funny, and crazy stories from our past. I lived with Craig and a few other friends in a large house in the town where I was a police officer. Needless to say, those years we spent together in the late 1970’s and into the early 1980’s were just incredible. Parties, “impromptu” get togethers, laughing literally 24/7 and enjoying each other’s company as “wild and crazy” 20-somethings is something I’ll never, ever forget.

Craig was also in a wonderful band called “Elysian Fields” and we all would spend hours in the upstairs studio listening to them practice while partying, singing, dancing, and enjoying our lives. We would then follow the band around to the different venues where they would play and start the fun all over again. I make the joke that during those years we all did things that can’t yet be discussed as “the statute of limitations” isn’t quite up yet! Craig once owned a souped-up Corvette that had a fairly loud exhaust system and would very often pull into the driveway late at night, put the car in park and fall asleep. My bedroom was on the driveway side of the house and I knew that if he didn’t shut the car off after about 30 seconds, I would have to go outside (rain, cold, snow or whatever), open the car door, reach in, turn the car off, then wake him up to come inside. Conservative estimates as to how many times I did this range in the dozens…but I didn’t mind one bit, he was one of my best friends.

Sitting with Craig this weekend listening to his decision-making processes not to continue the 3-times a week, physically and mentally crushing dialysis procedures was hard to do. Besides the myriad of other physical issues Craig suffers from, the dialysis treatments were the ones that ravaged his body. Although necessary for continued proper renal function, he had had enough. He is ready to go and be home with the Lord that he loves. Hearing him speak firmly and resolutely about how he is mentally and emotionally preparing to pass is a story that legends are made of. I was in absolute awe, admiration and astonishment sitting slack jawed as he calmly talked about dying. I had and have such a reverence and love for him while hearing all of this that as I write, the tears just come. These words are difficult to write.

There was another angel at the table, and that was Craig’s wife Gwenn. They have been married for 30 years and she has stood by his side through all his illnesses and hardships and has not once, and I mean not once ever complained with a single word. Also listening to her speak of her own processes during this time was awe-inspiring. Over so many years, she gave all she had while dealing with and managing Craig’s infirmities and diseases. Gwenn also has another family from a first marriage who she loves so very dearly and she imparted to us how this situation has impacted them in their love for Craig. Herself, being a hospice care nurse in a large city hospital, Gwenn is a very, very special kind of human being…one who only comes along once in a lifetime and Craig and she were blessed enough to come together and give each other the gifts of their undying love for one another. Their story is one of love, gratitude, faithfulness, spirituality, and family. And, I am so very, very fortunate to be a part of their lives.

Craig has given to me a gift that no amount of money could ever purchase. He gave me the gift of understanding that life, while short and fleeting, is so very precious and is to be cherished moment by moment. That gratitude for everything in life should constantly be in the forefront of our waking consciousness. The last 24 hours have given me so much to think about, pray about and hopefully come to my own conclusions that would make Craig a proud friend. While this blog entry is certainly not about me, I will soon make my own decisions as to how I carry on with the rest of my life. Craig has given me this wonderful, priceless gift and I will treasure it for the rest of my days. Thank you, my good friend…I will love you always.

With this, I am saying goodbye. But, just for a while. We will once again see each other but in a much, much better place. We will be together again and will party, dance, and laugh with our precious Lord Jesus. To watch Craig, hold steadfastly to his faith, creates in me a larger place to nurture my own spirituality. His inspiration is something I will always have and I’ve realized that friends such as Craig only come along once in a lifetime.

So, until we see each other again my good buddy…and until I get there, I know you’ll be able to find someone else to help you out of that darned car and back into the house!

You, my dear friend…will be greatly missed.

Mark (former housemate) on the left, Craig and me…

While this subject is probably nothing new to a lot of folks, it’s interesting that as I go through my day, I find that there are SO many various influences, pressures, and personal interactions I experience that negatively affect my internal peace and joy. Now, sometimes how we react to these things can often help us create a more positive and optimistic life’s outlook, but it’s the ones that I don’t have control over that seem to annoy me the most. This annoyance I feel however isn’t at the provocation itself, it’s my reaction to them. That I’ve allowed some ridiculously inane thing to affect me or make me feel a certain negative way and permitting some extraneous, very often stupid stimulus to create in me a disruptive, or unsettling emotion. And permitting is a good word because “I” let it happen. At my age, I should know better…but sometimes it just gets the best of me. To be honest, I’ve gotten much better at my reactions over the years, but sometimes, I find my peace and joy disturbed and that to me is way worse than the actual thing that helped put me there in the first place.

In previous posts, I’ve written about negative societal influences and my general dislike of social media (and doomscrolling), TV, the news, politics, etc. and involving myself in any other unpleasant things that I have control over. It’s the things that come from completely out of nowhere that I find I must work on and keep from robbing and stealing my peace and joy. I’ve found that very often, something negative can happen and it’ll hit me and affect me to a place where I’ll have trouble concentrating on my work, correctly finishing a project, or even enjoying myself if I’m in a place of relaxation. I’ve found that it also affects my speech and critical thinking skills…and this is probably what upsets me the most. That I’ve allowed some negative external stimulus so weirdly benign to create in me some type of effect that produces the consequences I’ve described. I know that I’m not alone in this as I’ve seen it happen to other people and I think “Wow, that (insert issue here) really shook them to the core”. On any given day, these things could come at you in the form of unfriendly or dismissive co-workers, rude people or circumstances while commuting, work project disruptions, making mistakes that could have been avoided, or a myriad of other troublesome little annoyances. And, sometimes, they build up.

What occurs physically when the body experiences annoyance (or anger), is that our adrenal glands flood the body with stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. Our brains send blood away from the gut and towards our muscles in preparation for physical exertion. It raises our blood pressure and respiration, causes the body temperature to rise and can increase the “fight or flight” syndrome. It’s known that external stressors that cause “annoyances” in folks who are easily affected by them can cause a constant flood of these stress chemicals that can create serious metabolic changes in the body. People who are constantly triggered could begin to experience chronic headaches, insomnia, increased anxiety and depression, high blood pressure, skin problems and when stress is constant, it can cause heart issues, heart attacks and stroke. Stress left unchecked can kill you.

As I continue to get older and (hopefully) much wiser, I’m beginning to find that external annoyances aren’t affecting me as much as they once did. I just don’t care anymore. At this age, my personal peace and joy are probably two of the most important things I possess, outside of my cherished loved ones. After all, remaining in a state of physical and mental disarray and stress is just not good for the mind, body, OR spirit.

So, what have I done to decrease and diminish these negative effects on my life? I’ve chosen to merely walk away. It’s as simple as that. I’ve found that walking away (either physically or mentally) gives me so much enjoyment. I know that might sound easy in practice, but believe me, it’s sometimes difficult to do. At one point in my life, I would love and very often welcome unfriendly or even hostile interactions during my day…I felt it kept me “on my toes”. Not anymore. I’ve found that it wears me out, and probably because of the physical effects previously described. But the more time that passes, allowing the external stimulus, whatever it might be, to wallow in its own misery gives me more pleasure than interacting with it in any way, shape, or form. I very often even find myself smiling as I take my walk.  It’s incredibly freeing and liberating. I’m not disturbed, I’m not annoyed, I’m not upset and I’m not angry. And, gloriously, my body isn’t in that state of tenseness and anxiety.

My personal peace and joy are just too important. I want to move through my day with relative ease, exuding kindness, and consideration to others when and where I can, navigating away from conflict and enjoying whatever I’m doing…just being present. This is one of the most mentally and physically important things I can do for myself.

And, after reading this, I hope you can too…