The Inauguration...and Your Health?

What the heck does today's inauguration have to do with your personal health?  Well, stop and listen for a second.  Do you hear that?  The buzz?  It's the buzz of hope and inspiration, the buzz of what is possible in the new world today.  Whether you voted for the guy or not, the election of the first black man in our nation's history is a monumental moment (and really, he's only considered black because he's not 100% white!).  We are still a segregated people, though now it's by choice and not law - how many times do I have to hear from my fellow suburban moms that they don't like going a certain place because it's so "dark?"  

What today shows us is that anything is, in fact, possible.  People who have never cared about the political process are feeling the call to action, reaching out in their communities, to their friends, their families and asking - how can I help you?  We are in this together.  No one man can do much to change - it's the inspiration he gives others to make their own changes.  

And inspiration and hope and feelings of the general good are without a doubt essential to your overall health.  You can be fit as a fiddle, eat perfectly 100% of the time, but if you are filled with hatred or despair, you have a long way to go before you can consider yourself fit and healthy.  Your health is the sum of your body and your mind - so feed your mind today and feel the hope and inspiration buzzing around this country.  

Figure out what inspires you - what can You do to make yourself, your family, your community a better place.  It can be as simple as putting on a smile and being respectful and kind to your neighbors at the grocery store.  Write a letter to one of our troops serving overseas.  Clean out a bedroom or a closet and donate those items to your local church or Goodwill.  Find your favorite charity, give them a call, and find out how you can volunteer - in time or money or both!  There are any number of things that you can do, and all of them will feed your mental health.

This is a new day, indeed.  Get out and make your mark Today!