ENDURE: January 23, 2015

Keep it Simple and You Can Move the World

Spoiler Summary: It seems reasonable that everyone would want to live a healthy life. It's no surprise that when asked if this is the case, the vast majority say "yes". So why then, do so few actually do it?  Try thinking through the pros/cons/barriers like a 2nd grader.

If you had to explain what it means for something to be so daunting it requires "moving the world" to a second grader how would you do it?  Would you start by explaining that weight is actually the force of gravity on an object and therefore the weight (force required to move the world) could be calculated using the formula Fgrav = mass of the earth (in kg) x 9.8 N/kg? Something inside makes me hope not.  

Would you instead try to explain that sometimes people see the challenges in front of them as so big that overcoming them would feel like doing the impossible, like picking up the world?  Certainly seems more reasonable.....but that might go sideways quickly.

I don't know if every 2nd grader enters a junior-philosopher stage (I don't remember my girls being there) but my son is.  Every now and again, usually right before bed (which makes me wonder if he's just playing me and trying to avoid going to sleep), he comes out with something that he's been mulling over all day.  And although it sometimes backfires (wormhole discussions), having read somewhere that kids tend to learn in these quiet moments, I try to decipher when he's really curious and when he's just procrastinating. Sometimes it's easy and others are more like getting into a strategy game against Bobby Fischer.

So when he posed this question, I thought he had me.  He seemed sincere but I could just about hear the word "check" ringing in the room. I didn't want to give a literal question a non-literal answer and I DEFINITELY didn't want to give a figurative question a literal answer and really confuse him......so I decided I'd reframe it, build on the recent science homework he was doing (phases of the moon, etc), go for the nearly impossible 7-10 split, pick up the spare and end the night on a positive.

"Well, there's an 'actual' weight of the world - and although it's really really heavy, that's something you could probably look up on the computer tomorrow....but it's also a saying, which means having a problem or challenge that seems so big it's like trying to move something as heavy as the entire world....but...maybe it just means the person should try to think back to 2nd grade more often....."

When he looked at me perplexed I simply said:

"Well, 2nd graders like you already know that the earth is always slowly rotating; as big as it is....it's always moving.  But sometimes, when we stop and really think about the challenge, we can remember some of the lessons we've known for a long time....and when we do that....even the challenges that seem really big can take care of themselves".

Checkmate.

___

Better health (and the amazing quality of life that comes with it) is attainable for every American in this lifetime......keep moving, eat more plants, get better sleep, avoid smoking, find the positive and connect with people you care about whenever you possibly can......maybe it's not always as complicated as it seems.

Have a great week,

Mike E.