I was listening to a lecture the other day from the American Academy of Oral Systemic Health and one of the doctors used this quote from Mahatma Gandhi and it shook me to my core of who I am.
Last night, after working out I looked in the mirror and for the first time ever I saw that I was starting to resemble my father. Ok, I can get past the fact that I am getting less young every day and I am seeing the natural changes. And those of you who have followed this blog for a while know that I lost my father about 1 ½ years ago. But I have never mourned his passing, he had a wonderful and successful life. I do, however, remember all the great things he did in this world and the lessons that he taught me. And I truly believe that even if Dad never heard Gandhi’s quote that he lived his life by it every day of his life. Here is a link to a blog I wrote about Dad http://socaldentalhealth.com/wordpress/?p=66
One of the values of life I learned from my father was that I didn’t want to be a hypocrite at all. I learned very young in my life that I had issues with those that I found lived by “Do as I say, not as I do” (This could be a great political post but it is not about politics at all). So many of you know about my passion about health. Yes, I am a dentist in the Los Angeles-Beverly Hills area, and I make a living by providing care to those who have dental problems. But to me it is about prevention and I walk the talk. I do floss multiple times a day, I eat well, I exercise, I don’t smoke and I am even starting to meditate to help reduce stress in my life. (I really believe that my meditation is when I get on a roll about how to prevent disease…it just gets my positive juices flowing). I am so happy to say that my weight is down to about what it was when I got married 24 years ago and am looking forward to my physical in a few weeks so I can see how changes in my life style have affected all the blood markers that are important in assessing one’s health.
Another area that my Dad was very adamant about was giving back to the community. He was a CPA and he got audited a few years in a row regarding his charitable contributions ( he gave more than most in his income bracket). He made some incredible impacts in a global way. Well, he has inspired me to try and do more and this week I took the first major step in doing so. The Hollywood Wilshire YMCA is the only Y in the country to have a living facility for women called “A Brighter Future”. A Brighter Future provides homeless single women and mothers a safe place to stay and gives them the tools they need to obtain and maintain permanent housing. The Brighter Future residents are provided case management, a job-readiness and life skills workshop and services to meet their physical and mental health needs. There are currently 16 women in the program with 7 children ranging from the age of 1 to 5 years old. I started a program where I will be working with these young ladies to help them understand dental health and the many factors that go into a healthy life style. Before the end of this year there will be 3 meetings and then after the start of the year monthly classes. If I can help just one of the girls then it will be worth it…but I have bigger goals as does Elizabeth, the program director.
The first meeting, 90 minutes long went so quickly and the girls were very animated, had great questions and really want the help. For me, what an experience, these girls come from such a diverse background and so different from mine. I look forward to learning more and growing with these young ladies and their children and making a difference in their lives.
Health is important to me and I am living it first before I try and help with others. What are you doing in your own lives to be the change you wish to see in the world? Please feel free to comment on this blog since we can all learn from one another.