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May 31, 2006
Two Minutes Earlier
Yesterday as I was on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, traffic slowed to an abrupt stop just south of the Lehigh Valley rest stop, and I heard ambulances and saw flashing lights. Sure enough, a terrible accident involving an overturned tractor trailer had just happened a few miles up the road. Conveniently enough, I was close enough to the rest area to get off the road and wait out the 1.5 hour turnpike closure/traffic jam from a comfortable park bench instead of sitting in my car. But the entire event scared me. I came so close to being right in the middle of a huge accident. I called my mom and MR to assure them that I was fine, in case they tuned into traffic reports and heard that my route was closed due to an accident.
I had been delayed slightly in my leaving the office to head out to Scranton. One of my staff was late for our morning meeting, then I had to fend off a couple of incoming calls just as I was walking out the door. My gas tank was low so I stopped before hitting the turnpike. I usually leave quite a lot of extra time, as I am perpetually early. But yesterday I was cutting it a bit too close for my taste.
I'm glad I didn't leave two minutes earlier.
As I sat at the rest stop savoring the megabrownie (260 calories, 26% of the RDA of every essential nutrient) MR had packed for me to eat as a convenient on-the-road lunch, I pondered how so many people, when hearing about CR, respond with, "But you could get hit by a truck tomorrow."
Well, that's true. As the artist formerly known as Prince said (when he was still Prince), "We could all die any day." Is it worth the time and energy CR takes to possibly live a bit longer?
Of course I think it is. I've blogged many times about the immediate improvements in my health and well-being that my CR practice has bestowed upon me. From the obvious effects (being thin, looking younger, having more energy, never getting sick) to the more surprising (lowered anxiety, more mental calm) to the downright bizarre (finding the love of my life and dragging him back to my country where I keep him locked in a box all day writing about future life-extending biotechnology and baking megamuffins), CR has improved my life in ways that no truck or bus could take away no matter how hard it hit me.
People plan for the future. They invest in education, houses, paying off credit card debt, saving for the future. I invested a whole lot in my education (even with most of it paid for by financial aid, Yale isn't cheap!), and ten years after graduation I just finished paying off my student loans. The investment has served me well. MR and I are on the verge of buying a house. That's an investment that everyone agrees makes a ton of sense for a young couple with 2.5 cats (I count Kieffer as at least a cat and a half.)
CR is an investment too. It's a downpayment on a future of feeling young and healthy, and being able to credibly flirt with younger men when all the women your age are fat and wrinkly. I don't want to think of my body as something that I rent -- I'm putting the work into it now so that I can enjoy living in it for many years to come.
Posted by april at May 31, 2006 12:38 PM
Comments
FYI, as of May 2000, Prince is once again Prince (or, if you prefer, "The Artist Formerly Known As The Artist Formerly Known As Prince").
Posted by: James at May 31, 2006 6:04 PM