All About You FRIDAY – A Reason to Live Well

I spotted her at the other end of the clinic as I willed my second wind to kick in. It was late in the afternoon and 15 patients into my day, I was struggling for motivation.

“I’m so happy to meet you!” she said as I introduced myself. “I’ve heard a lot about you from my personal trainer,” she added enthusiastically.

She was shorter than me with a head of blond hair and walked with purpose. Her smile instantly melted away my fatigue.

“I have a pain in my back when I walk,” she said her hands pointing to her right side. “And I need to be able to walk.” she emphasized. She described a life that included Pilates two times a week and luncheons with her girlfriends.

I started my evaluation and intermittently she would say things like, “Ooh! This is fun!” or “Do you think you can fix me?” and “I’m going to pray for you!” and then “I’m doing pretty well for 89, aren’t I?”

That last one stopped me in my tracks. 89.

“You are doing great!” I replied in shock. “What’s your secret?”

She told me she had a daughter who was a successful physician in Ohio specializing in treating breast cancer. “She’s amazing,” she said with pride in her voice. “I need to stay healthy and independent so she can keep doing what she was put on this planet to do.”

It wasn’t the answer I expected.

I’ve read a fair amount of articles recently about longevity. Come to think about it, they just started appearing on my Substack feed. I wonder what the algorithms are trying to tell me.

But, I digress.

The articles all seem to point at being social as the #1 secret to living a long life. My patient has that one nailed down. But in the hour I spent with her, I bore witness to a purpose-driven life. She had a sense of wonder as she observed things around her. She expressed gratitude for the career she had as a school counselor and the friends she acquired along the way, many of whom she still meets with weekly. She was curious. She was living life, not just for her, but for her daughter.

Her crowning achievement in this life was bringing a child into this world that was making a difference and she was going to do everything in her power not to get in the way of that.

Purpose comes in different forms. I was reminded of my purpose last night as she stood up and said, “I feel better! You’re the best!” At the end of a very long day, I never wanted to fix back pain so badly.

I’m going to do what I do so she can keep doing what she does so her daughter can keep doing what she was put on this planet to do.

That seems like a run-on sentence, but maybe it’s just a reminder to us all about the reason to live well. We are all connected, after all. We should make sure that is a good thing.

It’s been a long week. Don’t forget to celebrate.

Until next time…