OK, I like the way the last few weeks have been lining up. First we got the Superbowl and had a great group of friends at the house for my 30th consecutive party. Then we get Valentine’s Day where my boys and I took my wife out for lunch on Sunday (beat the crowds) and had a really great time. And now I get a three day weekend with President’s Day..how cool.
So it made me remember what days off were like when I was a kid in school. Back in those days we got off both Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthday off, there were a week apart in my memory serves me. Flash forward to today and it’s still days off neutral, there is only President’s day but there is also now Martin Luther King Day. Never in my day but there are all these other days off that my son gets at the high school (none for Josh at college). There are these minimum days, staff development days and others I can’t even remember. So here is what’s up with our family this holiday weekend.
Even with the rain Joey got in his usual Saturday football workout over at school. This is extra over what is done through the athletic department and Joey is committed to it..Way to go, Joe. And tonight (Sunday) we are going to the Townhouse, in Inglewood for Andrew Gouche’s Sunday Night Jam. The music is the best R&B jam around and the best part is when one Josh Engel gets up to play his song. It’s been a while since we have seen him play, we are very excited. If you read this in time, join us, all the info is on the internet.
And of course what is a holiday weekend without a little figure skating going on in our house. It’s true, I know more about figure skating than any man should, but it is a staple of my wife’s life and today she is off judging a test session for up and coming skaters from the Southern California area.
BUT LET’S GET BACK TO PRESIDENT’S DAY. While as a kid it was all about Washington and Lincoln, I want to make a point of something President Kennedy said in his inaugural address and you have heard it many times.
“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”
And on this President’s Day weekend I would like to tell you my personal thoughts on what I can do for the country. At this point in my life the best I can do for my country is to take personal responsibility for all of my thoughts, actions and words. It’s really simple if you ask me. Live right and give back to my local community. That’s all I can individually do.
Simple to say but not always simple to do. Trust me, I have plenty of failures, but I don’t let them break me down for long. There is so much to be said about living right; I am far from an expert on it. But I do know that if my ultimate goal is to be happy and a contributing part of society my body will give me plenty of physical and emotional feedback to let me know I am doing the right thing.
This is not something I came to overnight, nor is it something I have even mastered myself. I just try to build on good habits every day and try to figure out when I fail as to what caused me to have a poor outcome. Now let me put a professional take on this.
As a dentist it frustrates me that everybody does not brush or floss their teeth as often as they should. Dental disease is totally preventable. Why does anyone want to pay money to have their teeth worked on, their gums scrapped or any of the other bad images that dentistry has managed to create over the years? It’s all preventable and all it takes is some personal responsibility. And the great thing is the better you take care of your mouth, the healthier your body will be and less medical issues (meaning less monies needed etc) you might have.
OK, off my soap box about conscious prevention and on to the president day weekend with the family. Till next time..stay healthy.