While working in NY with the YMCA I decided to venture out to explore the local community as it related to issues of health. For two reasons, one is personal and the other is that my work with Y to improve the health and well being of minority communities. It also happens to be what I am writing my thesis on! The second picture is a local market in the upper east side. The first is in queens. Both were taken at the same time in the evening. What a dichotomy!
The unspoken truth is that your neighborhood is the number one indicator of health. Without local grocery stores with fresh fruit and veggies you can't make healthy eating choices. Unsafe streets keep children and adults trapped inside their homes. Pollutants are concentrated in low socio-economic areas.
What does this have to do with our work with LAM? Well, I guess it has more to do with our personal lives. Rob has had to make some drastic changes in his diet per doctor's orders. It is harder than it seems- you try eating salad every night! No caffine, limit the sugar intake....
So here we are, blessed with a local trader joe's and in walking distance to anything and everything we could ever need or want. I say this because we are taking a more contrated look at how we eat, exercise, sleep...etc. I realize how much we take for granted. How the little things that seem like a nuscence to us...like our partner drinking the last cup of milk and having to run to the store late at night...is really a problem of comfort. See, we have a grocery store with fresh milk and money in our account to by it. A car to drive or even walking shoes to make the quick hike. All of it seems to trivial but to others it is not.
Robby and I are challanged to recognize the blessings we have been given and to recognize our challanges are those of comfort not need.
No comments:
Post a Comment