My MIL complained of back pains, so we took her to PT. A week later –
Me: Are you doing the exercises you learned from the PT?
MIL: No, it doesn’t work.
Me: It’s not going to work in a week, it’s not a cure. You have to do them consistently to strengthen your back.
A few months later, she says her back is still hurting.
Me: Are you doing the exercises?
MIL: No, it doesn’t work.
Me: Do you do a little bit each day?
MIL: No, I don’t do them. It doesn’t work.
Me: If you don’t do them, it’s not going to work. Your back is not going to get better by itself.
MIL: It’s old age. Actually, even young people have back pains.
Ok.
Recently I’ve been seeing more clearly how my upbringing and the traits of my parents influence the way I think and act.
My father was very proactive in improving himself. He stopped us from watching TV and told us to go outside – pull weeds, ride our bikes, go play tennis. Watching TV was a waste of time, do something more healthy. He never told us to study more. We all got decent grades.
I got that from my dad. I don’t watch TV, I want to do something productive. The downside is I feel guilty when I relax.
My husband takes after his mom. Like her, he is very responsible, keeps his nose to the grindstone, never complains. But he is lazy about improving himself. He’ll sit and watch TV, much like what his mom does.
I’m proud of him that this week, he’s starting his exercise regiment. He’s had high blood pressure for many years. Recently, it’s been going up even with meds. He still wouldn’t exercise, until this week.
I hope he’ll keep it up. I need to exercise too. But I’m underweight and have low blood pressure. My motivation is to get stronger to go on Taiwan STM in September.
We are all getting old. No one ever gets younger. It’s no reason to stop improving ourselves in body, soul, and spirit. I am only willing to take a small step, but I figure that’s better than nothing.