Use It or Lose It!

My mother, when she was 94 (now graduated to heaven), would tell her doctor: “There are mornings when I just don’t want to get out of bed because everything hurts too much!” And her doctor’s response was: “When you stop forcing yourself to get out of bed, is when you’ll be bedridden. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it!”

Use It. Don’t Lose It.

The older I get, the more I realize how precious life is and how much I want to live it “abundantly” like Jesus said in John 10:10 “I came to give you life and life more abundantly!” And the older I get, the more I not only see the aging process going on in this sleek body (LOL!), but I’m feeling it, too! I know what not to eat because of the after effects that come from “that” food choice. I know how to sleep so that I don’t wake with a crick in my neck. I know what shoes to wear to prevent plantar fasciitis. I know that I not only need to floss my teeth, but I need to use a water pik flosser as well. I know that swimming and exercising keeps my joints flexible and I know that I need to moisturize this face and body to keep it smooth. I know I need to take supplements to keep me healthy. I know I need to stay out of the sun, unless I’ve applied 100+ sunscreen! Whew!

I also know I need to keep using my mind. I know how easy it is to watch mindless TV and use my computer for answers to questions, calculator for counting, as well as use my phone to play mindless games and activities. Once upon a time, when I wanted information, I used my 26 volumes of encyclopedia or lose myself in the library. Before email, if I wanted to write to someone, I had to invest some effort in it. I’d sit down with pen and paper, or at a typewriter, and carefully compose a message. There wasn’t anything that lent itself to dashing off quick notes without giving them much thought, and the time it took to write a note, find and address an envelope, add postage, and take the letter to a mailbox. Because the very act of writing a note or letter to someone took this many steps, and was spread out over time, we didn’t go to the trouble unless we had something important to say. Because of email’s instantaneous “send” click, we get that message off in a split-second….and sometimes we realize we forgot to send the attachment or even sent it to the wrong person or persons – and, oops – I really didn’t mean to say “Have a grave date” when I meant to say “Have a great day!”

Yesterday, I received the most precious handwritten letter from a dear friend of mine, Sister Marie Pierre, a beloved retired, 89-year old, nun. Though she has some health issues and has slowed down from the over-active teacher and mentor that she was, her mind is still brilliant. I went to see her when I was in Tulsa a few weeks ago and I gave a little gift to her to help with a project she was working on. She has all the excuses she would need to have to not remember I came by or to not send a thank you note – either by email or mail. But she took the time to send me two pages of hand writing to say thank you. In her letter she said, “As you can now figure out – I can’t write legibly and for that, blame my tremors, age and frozen joints. Do the things you want to do now because later is too late.” And, her humor is still intact -- she added this “If you were here, I’d kiss your feet, but then I wouldn’t be able to get up again, so nix on that!” She’s hilarious without even trying. And she remembers so much. She said “This isn’t the first time you’ve rescued me. Remember back in the retreat time (my add: that was many years ago) when you made out sheets for cabins, rides and food which saved me time of worry and work”. I could hardly believe those words – she remembered me.

Why am I saying all this? Maybe it's because of my approaching “another-year-older”, but also because I know I need to keep doing some things that matter – especially taking the time to show others that they matter. It’s so easy to make a phone call to a friend to catch up, but “stuff” gets in the way and we never make that call. It’s easy to send a quick text message with emoticons instead of saying the words “I love you.” It’s so easy to send an email, when someone really needs to know that you thought about them enough to send a handwritten letter or card.

Maybe it’s time we use our brains for reading more, researching more, writing more and good old arithmetic more AND even using our brains for stretching our faith to believe more. "Whatever a man thinks in his heart – so is he" Proverbs 23:7. Sister Marie Pierre knows her limitations, but she still does what she can because she knows “Use it so you don't lose it!"