Health & Wellness: Health and Wellness All Year Round

Last month, we celebrated Earth Day. There were paper shredding parties at major banks, clean-ups at parks and on beaches, spring plantings. The list goes on. People were cooperative with and kind toward one another. Why, I wondered, only on April 22, do we celebrate our beautiful, struggling planet?

As I mature, I realize more and more what it is that keeps me healthy and makes me happy– to partake in all of nature’s riches: a walk at West Hills Park, a hike in the mountains of New Hampshire, a visit to Sag Harbor’s Elizabeth Morton Bird Sanctuary, a stroll along Robert Moses or Jones Beaches. And what makes me even happier is to be kind to others: to think outside of and beyond myself and to try to be attuned to the life situations of others.

There is unprecedented strife around the world today. Too much ignorance and blind hatred. I do not consider myself to be political, however, I do think that it’s time that we learn to honor and respect one another’s varied and wonderful differences before we alienate ourselves from ourselves and from one another.

I propose this to everyone who may be reading this short article: be kind to one another and yourself, your friends, neighbors, and loved ones. Take a walk in your neighborhood and admire the different species of plants, flowers, and trees, the squirrels digging for their treasures, the cardinals pairing in flight, the screech of the blue jays, and the keen eye of the hawks. If you see some stray litter, be kind and pick it up. Say hello to a neighbor and be willing to lend an ear if you feel they need connection. Hold the door for a stranger, especially those who may need your help. Apologize to someone you think you may have wronged.

We are all on this planet Earth together. We are connected not just to one another, but to every living thing on our forgiving mother earth. Let’s pledge to strive to live a healthy life both physically and mentally, each and every day. Let’s give ourselves a break from social media and harmful words and threats and turn them instead to words of encouragement and positivity. We are given this one life. Let’s try to make the best of it. One day at a time.