When and where I grew up, you didn’t go to the doctor unless you were sick.  Like really sick.  Like my heart hasn’t beat in a few minutes I might want to give them a call sick. My father once closed a pickup door on my little finger and broke it.  No trip to the doctor, just a band aide.  I think some ice cream for desert that evening as a morale boost maybe but that was it.

In todays world what we used to call toughing it out is probably better characterized as felony child abuse but nobody died and there were some lessons learned.

That thought pattern followed me in to my adult life though and as I became older I still resisted trips to the doctor.  And when you are younger and healthy, it’s a routine you can often get away with.  Go with the HSA kind of mentality.  And I did.  I would be shamed in to a physical once every 4 or 5 years by someone but I mostly avoided doctors and healthcare in general for a good 45 years.

And then the warranty expired.

As 50 appears you start to say things like “that shouldn’t make a noise like that” and “was that always that color” and before you know it that fine tuned engine that use to carry you through all ailments and maladies is in full on revolt.

My “aha” moment came after reading an article where 65-70 year olds were asked if they could go back and talk to their 50 year old selves what advice would they give.  The answer was loud and unanimous: TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY AND HEALTH!

So, at  51, I started acting like a grown up when it came to my health and medical needs.  Supplements and diet, sleep, exercise, and started a relationship with not just one doctor but doctors plural.  Got the tests, did what the tests said I should do.  And much to my surprise, I felt the best I’d felt in decades.  Little did I know it was preparing me for my first field test of my new found partnership with proactive healthcare.

I waited to get the vaccine.  I know, I know, but I had questions and I hate being told what to do.  But I did because it just needs to be done.  I’d gone over a year in this pandemic jungle traveling all over the country with no problem.  I figured with the vaccine, I could volunteer as a stamp licker at the post office and be fine.  I was wrong.

Even with precautions and the vaccine, I contracted Covid last week.  And man I’ll tell you, it lives up to it’s media hype. It is not pleasant.  But it was (is) manageable and I am bouncing back fast. My doctor tells me because it clearly was a Delta variant to break through the vaccine, and had I not been in decent shape (I lobbied him for a good shape for my age designation instead but he laughed), and been vaccinated, things would have been very very different.  I’m calling this first preventative care field test of my in between years a success.

Bodies change and bodies get old and in the world we gratefully live in their are many MANY things we can do to keep the engine running at it’s best.  Use these in between years to make the body you want for the after 65 years because your body and your health will dictate what that life looks like.  And get vaccinated.  You can’t just rub some dirt on this thing and walk it off.