Preventative Maintenance
Since the weather has been so cold lately (with the exception of the past couple of days), I have been hyper vigilant about making sure that my car is in working order. Every time I get in my car and turn the key to start it, I check my dashboard to make sure that I have plenty of gas and that no ‘lights’ are flashing (like the “Check Engine” light). Since it was overdue for it’s 60,000 mile check, I took it in and had the recommended service for the mileage and had them do a complete vehicle inspection. They recommended a few other things that needed to be fixed or replaced which included the brakes and some bulbs for the brake lights. When everything was said and done, all the service and repairs cost me more money than I anticipated, but I know in the long run, it will be well worth the money.
The reason I have been doing this is plain and simple: I take my car for granted and I truly don’t want to be stuck without it. I don’t want it to breakdown when I least expect it to and then have the repairs cost twice as much because I haven’t done the preventative maintenance and because one part wasn’t working properly then another part started to fail too.
Up to this point, I have pretty much been running under the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude. I felt that as long as I put gas in the car, got the oil changed occasionally, got new tires when they were needed, etc., then all was well. What I didn’t take into consideration is that just because everything seemed to be working, doesn’t necessarily mean that everything was working well. My brakes were pretty worn and if I had waited too much longer to replace them, then I would have had to replace other parts that work in conjunction with the brakes. Not to mention the the dangerous situation of not having the brakes work at all. Scary!
I will admit that until a few years ago, I really had the same attitude about my body as I have had about my car. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” Plus I really did take my body for granted. I had run under the assumption that since nothing really hurt and I didn’t have any chest pain or anything like that (now chest pain would be the ultimate “Check Engine” light, wouldn’t it?), then all is well. Again, what I hadn’t take into consideration is that just because my body is working, doesn’t mean it is working well.
Your body is a very miraculous thing. It is constantly working and doing things that you don’t even have to think about. Your heart beating, air going in and out of your lungs, your blood pumping, your stomach digesting–all of those things are automatic. But what would happen if one of those systems wasn’t working quite like it was supposed to. Then all the other parts or systems that worked in conjunction with it would have to work harder.
Your body is just like a car. It requires regular maintenance and preventative maintenance in order for it to work like it needs to. If you don’t pay attention to your dashboard, your gas tank and your ‘check engine’ light, things will get out of whack real fast. Unlike a car, you can’t trade your body in after 100,000 miles. You might be able to replace a few parts, tighten a few bolts, replace the upholstery, but that is about it. Your body is, for the most part, irreplaceable and it is here for the long haul.
Since your body is here for the long haul, then the best thing you can do for it is to take care of it! Take a few minutes now and check in with your body. What part or parts are trying to get your attention? Do your muscles ache, does your head ache? Are you tired? Do you feel stressed? Do you feel pain anywhere? Do you wonder when you will be able to take time for yourself? These are all ‘warning’ lights from your dashboard telling you that things are not working as well as they should. Time for some preventative maintenance. Take some time to do some things that you enjoy. For example: go for a walk, get some exercise, spend time with friends, go to bed early, take a long, hot bath, take time for yourself, read a book just for fun, spend time in nature, go on that long overdue vacation, get away for the weekend, get a massage (you knew I was going to throw that in there, didn’t you?)
The bottom line is: Preventative maintenance will cost you either in time and/or money, however, if you take your body for granted and you wait until it is broken (think ‘check engine’ light), it will cost you a whole lot more than the preventative maintenance will. Since this is the only body that you have, isn’t whatever you invest in it worth every penny? For me, the answer is a resounding YES! However, only you know the answer for yourself. So my question to you is: AREN’T YOU WORTH IT?
YOUR PARTNER IN AWARENSS AND HEALING,
Kathy