“Health and Wellness is a journey not a destination”

So the past blogs were my intro to what I consider the cornerstones of Health and Wellness and where I am in my journey. My goal was to intrigue you and get the comments flowing. Hopefully this journey will be fun. I look forward to taking this journey with you guys. Cheers

“Love, Friends and Family…ingredients for Social Stew”

At 43 I didn’t think I would be separated pending divorce raising two children on my own and attempting to convince the love of my life to put her eggs in my basket, while balancing a career and obligations to my “MC”. Socially, I am busy. I have always described being socially fit is like being a plate spinner at the fair. I mean just because the spinner had more plates, it didn’t make them better, just more likely to drop a plate. Just because you have a big social circle, doesn’t mean you are more social fit, just gives you a better opportunity to lose friends, family or lovers. Friends, Family and Lovers are great at helping you through hard times, if you aren’t too afraid to share you baggage with them. Ensuring a delicate balance is the key to having a healthy social circle.

"So your fat...now what?"

So most of my life, I have been a big guy. Have you ever had a sassy gay friend be brutally honest with you? I had a good friend and mentor, who at the time I had no idea he was gay, tell me “Dave, you have a bunch of potential but you have an image problem”. Being slow, I said “what are you saying?” He said, “Your Fat”. I was shocked. So at 34 years of age, I was confronted with getting my collective crap in one sack when it came to managing my physical health. I had to teach myself to eat and how to work out. This has been a journey for me. I have cycled, ran, hiked and swam my way to losing 50 pounds. I now prepare better meals for my kids and encourage them to be actively engaged in physical activities. What I have found is physical fitness is: 1. a lifestyle change not a destination, because you will never arrive and be fit forever. 2. It takes dedication and persistence. 3. Physical fitness loves company; it is a lot easier with a friend. 4. Set goals and reward yourself

What's that noise? Oh its the voices in my head...nevermind

I grew up in rural Georgia, so one way to get your grand kids to behave was to threaten to send them to “Milledgeville”. Milledgeville, GA was the home to the state mental hospital. So most of my childhood, I was worried about being crazy, even though I had no concept to what that meant. 23 months of combat and having watched people die has given me “Mental Scars”. I think that mental scars are much different than physical scars as they aren’t always visible and sometimes it seems they have disappeared. Then a smell or sound triggers a flood of emotions. The mind seems to be a mystery to people much more educated than I. Trying figure out how the mind works is more important than an infinite energy source, I am sure if we mastered mental fitness, then lots of mysteries would be cleared up. As for me, I do well. I forgive easy and I am ever mindfully of my intolerance for ignorance. I play mental “Judo”. It is basically running a series of events in my mind. For example, If I am in a store, I play what would happen if games. What would happen if that person started choking?, What would happen if the roof caved in? It’s just a way of keeping the mind sharp and prepared. I have read articles saying those people who engage in mental activities daily are far less likely to have “Alzheimer’s disease”.

"Life and the meaning there of" or "Your Spiritual Bank account is overdrawn"

How did I get here? That question is a hard one to answer and I find myself often times staring off into nowhere wondering the same thing. I am not religious, but I am very spiritual. When I see how everything in the world works together, I can’t believe it was all left to chance. I believe in a creator, but I believe him, her, it or whatever created this wonderful world and left it, kind of like a watchmaker. I don’t necessary believe in an afterlife, but I don’t want to believe that your life ends with a slow ride in a hearse and a six foot hole in cold clay. Spiritually, I believe I am sound; I live everyday like it’s my last. I challenge most people I am around to do the same. Don’t wait till you too old to enjoy this great country and world.

In the beginning there was darkness...then there was "BLOG"????

The Professor told me to pick my game and do this “Blog” thing or I will never graduate college. So I guess that I have to drum up some followers by creating a product that is worth reading and at least a little entertaining while sticking to the guidelines of the grading rubric. I am Dave Henry a 43 year old career military man, single father of two crazy wonderful kids, member of a true “MC”, companion with my best friend and love of my life and son of two great parents that are still together after 48 years. I believe defining one’s roles is the first step in being able to bring a bit of discipline to the chaos that is one’s life. After role defining, most of my issues fall into four categories. The next several blogs will give you a peek under my tent and hopefully keep you coming back for more, if nothing else I hope I make you smile.

I am creating this Blog for a class that I am taking at Kaplan.  The class is  "Creating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing"