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As we get ready for the holidays and stress out for that gathering, party or family reunion, and sweat over what presents/gifts to buy for people, etc, etc. So many things to consider, so many emotions and time stress, it is important to not forget the spirit of this season…

and there are many explanations and many views on this…

But if you look at the most common explanations and try to understand the basics or fundamental aspirations behind all of these, it can probably summarized as follows…

To be thankful and happy for the things that are given to us and for what we have; and one of the most important gifts we have is our close family, that sticks with us through our thick and thin. So spending quality time in a thankful, pleasant mood with our family (and friends) and enjoying every moment as best as we can would be at the heart of the spirit of this season. But at times we tend to forget this and get carried away by the traditions and practices invented around the season and sometimes, stress out on things that don’t even matter much.

The following quote should help us remember this and motivate us to live in the present fully, not just during the holiday season, but throughout the year…

“The past is history, the future is a mystery, and this moment is a gift. That is why this moment is called ‘the present’.”      - Deepak Chopra

Try it out today; let out your concerns and live in a mood of wonder, openness and thankfulness and be willing to allow others’ thoughts and actions to modify you in a positive way and be forgiving of people. Criticize others less and appreciate more. Try it for a day or two and see how your days go by.

The annual survey, America’s Health Rankings 2007, that rates each of the 50 states in the United States reveals some interesting and sometimes concerning facts regarding the health of our people and our nation as a whole. The 2007 edition of this report shows that Vermont tops the list and is the healthiest state, followed by Minnesota. Missisippi is at the bottom and thus the least healthy state. “This year, the United States experienced the highest life expectancy in its history – a baby born today can expect to live for 77.9 years as compared to a life expectancy of 75.4 years in 1990.”

The survey uses a combined score of health indicators and policy questions to rank all 50 states. Some of the factors used in determining the ranking of a state are obesity rates, tobacco and alcohol use, high school graduation rates, state laws and regulations promoting better health, etc. The survey also considers access to health services and environmental issues like pollution, infectious disease rates, crime, etc.

“As a nation, the health score this year went down compared to last year by three tenths of a percent.” So the health of our people has deteriorated slightly compared to last year. It is interesting to ponder about possible causes for this decline. Could it be the aging population in the country? If that is the case, we can speculate that this annual report would show declining health in the coming years. Also, “Ten in 1,000 children born in the states die before their first birthday.”

The findings in the report  are rather concerning when you compare these results to the health of other countries. “The U.S. Census Bureau indicates that 43 countries have life expectancies that exceed the United States, and 40 countries have a lower infant mortality rate than the United States.”

“The United States have a higher mortality rate compared to seven other developed countries (Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom) for ischemic heart disease; trachea, bronchitis and lung cancer; and diabetes mellitus; but additionally, the U.S. is higher than six of these seven countries for unintentional injuries, intentional injuries and neuropsychiatric conditions. The United States ranks second for a lower death rate due to colon and rectum cancers, and it ranks third among eight for a low rate of cerebrovascular disease.”

What can we do as a nation and its people, to stop the decline in our overall health and actually improve our health? Here is what the editors say in the foreword…

“In light of the findings presented on the following pages, the report’s subtitle, A Call to Action for People and Their Communities, takes on more meaning than ever due to the necessity for urgent action. An immediate and more vigorous public discourse is needed to prioritize the resources necessary to achieve optimal health and well being. And all of us-as individuals, members of families, participants in community life, health professionals and political and policy leaders-need to intensify our efforts toward a healthier America. ”

You can access the entire report here (America’s Health Rankings 2007). It lists the rankings for each individual state and other detailed information including a comparison with other countries, etc. But we owe it to ourselves to take those right steps and to force our government into taking action to improve our overall health and well-being.

The New York Times, recently ran this story about this new report about Hip Fractures, that researchers have identified the risk factors that increase the likelihood someone might have a broken hip. The researchers have identified about 11 risk factors to help doctors identify women at most risk of a broken hip in their later years. This report is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The more interesting thing is if you want to check your risk level for a broken hip in your later years, they now have a hip fracture risk calculator that assesses your risk level. Would be interesting to see how well this calculator estimates the risk across the various population segments. Nevertheless, tools like these can be useful in giving early indications of potential problems, if we are alert to make the necessary changes and prevent or reduce our risk of a fracture.

Keeping our mind engaged, alert and active goes a long way towards enjoying our later years and extending active living. To this end, we will occassionally post riddles to exercise our minds. Post your answer to the riddle in the comments.

Today’s riddle is…

“How many flowers do I have if all of them are roses except two, all of them are tulips except two and all of them are daisies except two?”

It is very important to embrace lifelong learning. Otherwise, if we stop learning then don’t we stop living? Not adapting to change, not growing intellectually, stagnating, is that what we call living?

Aristotle summarizes the value of education or learning, especially in times of need, beautifully in these simple words…

“Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.” - Aristotle 

Note: We are pleased to notify you that Time Goes By is back and Ronni Bennett has resumed posting, accepting the overwhelming requests from her readers to continue. This is a good ending to a week that began a bit dark.  We published our interviews with her recently in 2 parts. You can find them here, part 1 and part 2.