Healthy, Wealthy and Waldo Wise
My parents were “old school” when it came to health. They were firm believers in the old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!” And they often quoted Benjamin Franklin who said: "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."
Momma and daddy were very pro-active about our health. Their belief was; if you stay healthy, you won’t have to see an expe

nsive doctor and buy expensive prescriptions! With that in mind, our dad would line us four kids up every evening and gave us a spoonful of Blackstrap molasses, wheat germ oil and cod liver oil. Additionally, we were given Vitamin C and Vitamin D. We did that for as long as I can remember and for the most part, we avoided a majority of the ailments that go along with being a school kid.
When I was 16, soon after my dad’s passing, the daily routine of taking the molasses, oils and vitamin pills came to an end. Without him there to push the issue, we teenagers thought it silly to subject ourselves to this untasty regimen, along with the fact of we had less money to buy such.
But my lack of interest for my health came back to bite me.
In my 20’s and early 30s, I wasn’t treating my body very well; not eating wholesome foods and occasionally wake up call in the guise of a small case of angina when I was about 32 years old. It caused me to sit up and take notice. I started to focus on my health and went back to my dad’s health regimen. To this day, I still take the molasses, the oils, and vitamin supplements - albeit they are now all of the organic variety. over-indulging adult beverages. And, as the good Lord often does, he gave me a reality check.
Over the years, I’ve added to my daily regimen a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and organic coconut oil. When I do all these things, I stay healthy. Occasionally, I’ll be on a trip and forgot these daily supplements and it often “tells on me.” (The last time I forgot them, I got a pretty bad cold.) In this “telling,” I know that the regimen I’ve set for myself is what I need to keep myself healthy.
My mother was also a proponent of a healthy lifestyle and lived independently to the age of 93. A few years before her passing, I asked her what she attributed her longevity to. Her answer was, “I have the will to live, I trust in the Lord, I do my best to eat healthy and I take a spoonful of coconut oil every day!”
Now, I’m not saying that you should necessarily follow my regimen to be healthy, wealthy and Waldo wise. What I am saying is that staying healthy by finding a health regimen that is right for you has a multitude of benefits. When you eat the right foods for you, your body feels better. And when your body feels better, your mind follows. When you exercise, you again are also doing wonderful things for your body as exercise also has great benefits for you mentally. It can relieve stress and bring balance to your day. When we feel good, we make better decisions in life and are more open to the possibilities that the world has to offer. Borrowing from Deepak Chopra, my belief is: “Without proper diet, rest and self love, medicine is of no value. With proper diet, rest and self love, medicine is of no need.”