“We live in a world that is beyond our control, and life is in a constant flux of change. So we have a decision to make: keep trying to control a storm that is not going to go away or start learning how to live within the rain.” ― Glenn Pemberton

It appears that I’ve moved from flood and hurricane territory up to the hail and tornado highway. It’s fascinating to watch the meteorologists on the TV screen using the latest technology to track approaching storms. All the colors and grids and radar projections keeping us on the edge of our seats. Cell phone technology allows instant communication with storm chasers racing down the highway, while all the traffic is heading in the opposite direction. So much drama. The arrival of the approaching tornadoes and hail are plotted minute by minute. I squeezed my vehicle into the garage after hearing of baseball size hail heading this way. Evening classes and hockey were cancelled.

I didn’t get a drop of rain.

Like Charleton Heston parting the Red Sea, the ominous front went right and left. A very anticlimactic evening. A reminder that some things, like the weather, are out of our control. All we can do is batten down the hatches ride it out. Or turn on the sprinkler and pray for some rain.

“It is our attitude toward events, not events themselves, which we can control. Nothing is by its own nature calamitous — even death is terrible only if we fear it.” ― Epictetus

There was an endocrinologist (what’s that?) on the news this week.  Florence Comite has just written a book with advice about helping people to take control of their health and live longer. Most of our medical care is reactive – helping us to solve problems that have developed due to disease, sickness, poor lifestyles and aging. She advocates a proactive approach. Her brief interview made a lot of sense.

It seems there’s much more we can control about our health if we will become aware and make some early adjustments. Getting the right data from health professionals is important. She believes we aren’t trapped by our genes but can solve health problems before they occur. Get better sleep and eat protein. That’s what I just talked with my doctor about. Unfortunately, he’s mostly trying to help me fix all that I’ve messed up in the past fifty years. I was reassured when he told me that taking more drugs was not the direction he likes to go. Maybe soon I’ll stop rattling when I walk??

Modern medical care is almost miraculous. It’s also become out of reach because of cost. Only half of our adult population report that they can afford it these days. Over one-third of the population don’t seek medical care because of cost (lack of insurance).  When it comes to health in our country, there are two America’s. One has easy access and the other is struggling to just to pay for necessary medications.

I keep telling my friends and family to think about the blessing of the wonderful medical care we have. Especially when there’s a terrible diagnosis and long-term treatment planned. Medical science and research has provided so many breakthroughs – it is a miracle. If you have the right insurance plan. 

“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.” ― Thomas à Kempis

Has anyone ever misplaced their children in the store? There’s that moment of panic in the pit of your stomach. The feeling seems to last for two days. Then you hear the familiar voice and turn the corner. Right where you left him or just a few meandering steps away.

Last week my grandkids were eating their ice cream outside and staying within sight, or so I thought as I had instructed. And just like that, they connected with a couple of new acquaintances and crawled through the iron fence to frolic with unabashed joy on the next-door golf course. It was late evening, the sun had not set yet as they tore along the empty fairways. At least that’s what it sounded like to me. All I could do was hear the loud joyous voices. The trees blocked my view. I got a glimpse here and there. The laughter and shouting were nonstop. Their escape occurred before I knew what was happening. That familiar panic set in. How was I to get them back? They were trespassing. What if someone got hurt? How could I help?

After almost an hour, I caught sight of mine as they drew near the fence. They were close enough to hear me call out. I got them back on the right side quickly. The rest of the story was not much fun for anyone. But I was back in control.

Spending time during my weeks with a seven and four-year-old, crawling out from under tables at the fast-food joint (those extra clean floors), senior citizens driving with glaucoma while we dance across the church parking lot, little Miss Independent getting trapped in the restroom at the ice rink, taking an evening walk together hoping for some magic time but ending up getting chased by a gaggle of geese someone thought would be fun to tease… I’m the senior adult who believed he was in control. 

We are living in an age of deluded belief that we control so much of our lives. When was the last time a band of raiding Vikings disrupted your vacation plans? But all it takes is a lost phone, a virus, perpetual highway construction, AI, a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, or an out of the blue diagnosis – and life can go completely off the rails in small or very big ways.

Maybe instead of breaking your neck trying to stay in control of the world around you, the better daily goal is to manage your own peace and relation to others? All any of us can hope to accomplish today is make an effort to wrestle with our own self, to demonstrate love and be the person others need right now.