A Free Gift for the Holidays

Each December, family and a few close friends ask me what I would like as presents. As much as I love getting gifts, I can just as easily buy items for myself. So this year I thought about what I’d really want, attainable or not. I want my dad to be in better health, but even though I told him in the past what exercises to do to strengthen his weak areas, and even though I gave him the phone number to an excellent corrective exercise specialist, he’s still doing his old routine which isn’t helping him.

Since people are supposed to get you what you want, not what they want, I wrote to my dad that I would like MY gift to be for him to schedule a training session. This is what I wrote: I love you and seeing you frail makes me worried. I don’t want you to become weak like grandma and fall and hurt yourself. Exercise with proper form may be even more important as we age since balance deteriorates and bone loss occurs each year (yikes!). Will you grant me my wish this season?

To my surprise, he called, thanked me and said he would make that appointment. I’ve never been happier and we both benefit. If you can give a gift of health too, wouldn’t that be great?