THE QATSPY® From the Kerosene Cowboy Journal Perception
By: Charles W. Boatright
Your Health, One of Your Most Precious Possessions– The Importance of Maintaining Your Health & Fitness especially as you age past your 30’s. Even the Bible in Matthews underlines the importance of maintaining your health that you’re given.
The Parable of the Talents from Matthews
There is another reference that one can take from Matthews 25:14-30 about the Parable of The Talents that three servants were entrusted with to manage. This parable refers to monetary management, but it can also refer to our skills that are given to us that we develop. But another huge component of this parable is our health and fitness and how we manage it as we age.
At our birth, we are given one of the most precious gifts of all, our health and fitness where we enjoy endless hours playing sports with the neighbor kids during those summer months. The key to maintaining this precious gift of health and fitness is to follow a healthy Kosher diet and exercises that include strength training. Strength training is one of the best methods to maintain an age-defying lifestyle and appearance. I don’t know too many people over the age of 40 that wouldn’t want to look younger than they are.
Managing Our Gifts in Life
Here, you had three servants that were given talents to manage, you could consider these talents one’s health and fitness. One servant received 5- talent; the second 2- talents; and the third servant 1- talent. The first two wisely invested their talents while the third did nothing with their talent, but actually just sit on it.
The first two servants were greatly rewarded for managing their talents. The third servant that did nothing with theirs had their talent taken away.
One thing about sports that can be directly applied to our life, as well, is what coaches tell their athletes- Either use it or lose it. This is true with our health and fitness also in that we have to constantly exercise our minds and bodies to avoid losing our ability to enjoy life as we age.
We need to view our health and fitness as we do our 401(k) plan for our retirement years that we contribute to; but in this instance we contribute to our 401(k) health and fitness by eating a healthy Kosher diet and following an effective workout program. What is nice about your workout program is that you don’t have to follow an aggressive-type powerlifting program to see benefits. It is more about reps than resistance!
How this Parable Refers to Our Health
I worked with older guys in bridge and line construction who said- If I knew that I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of my body. We are given one of the most precious gifts of health and that can diminish with time if we don’t manage our health and fitness properly. Eighty-percent of your health is based on eating a healthy Kosher diet.
Like in sports, an athlete can’t expect to perform at a high level if they hadn’t trained and conditioned their body’s for a certain level of performance. Even though we aren’t training for competition at a high level, we still want to have an independent lifestyle that allows us to remain active to enjoy as we age toward and during retirement years.
Here’s the BIG question– Why on earth do you want to work hard for 30- odd years doing what you HAVE to do on someone’s else schedule just to get to retirement and discover that you can’t enjoy the things you now want to do now on your own schedule. You don’t want to lose your health and fitness at the very point of your life that you are able to enjoy life on your own terms.
This was what the third servant experienced when they just laterally sat on their talent and did nothing to improve that one talent that they were given. In sports that I played, the conditioning coach stressed the need to constantly challenge your body and mind by working out all through our lives. Never stop being active nor working out regularly.
Why stop being active at the very point you are going to need your health and fitness to be able to enjoy life and what you WANT to do.
Preparing for Retirement
A couple of years before I retired, I took VOTECH courses in welding in order to learn welding to become my second career when I did retire. I have never enjoyed life more than in my welding shop building grills/smokers that I designed. As an engineer, a major part of my job was preparing shop drawings that came in real handy now.
Below, are two photographs (front & back) of a 16- inch diameter x 30- inches long x 115 Lb Grill/Smoker that I just built in my shop that performs like a Pit Master Smoker would performed with steaks, chicken, fish, and vegetables that I just used. I grill/smoke every day.
I was raised in the Ozarks of Arkansas where a local favorite is what is called Lemon-butter-pepper over the coals chicken. There was a restaurant in Rogers, AR, called AQ (Arkansas Quality) Chicken, this was their specialty. I happened to come across their recipe one day and used it today. I couldn’t think of a better time to prepare and grill Lemon-butter-pepper over the coals than today. Below is what I prepared that was actually better than what I even remembered. It might have been the Grill/Smoker.
Remember one important FACT about your Health & Fitness- There are no lines that we can get in to buy our health and fitness. What makes this Parable of The Talents applicable to our health is that we can’t purchase health and fitness; we can most certainly invest in our health and fitness.
The Benefits of Maintaining my Health and Fitness Confronting Cancer
I just got through with my battle with Stage 2 Prostate Cancer that started in September of 2023. Fortunately for me, I caught it early during my annual physical in September when I had a PSA reading of 6.2 (Normal PSA is 4.0). Guys get your PSA annually.
This prompted me to be referred to Jackson Urology here in Jackson, MS where I underwent a Prostatectomy performed by a very talented Dr. Runnels. I can’t thank God enough for the talents that Dr. Runnels had to perform the surgery in February of 2024. I’m now under the care of Nurse Practitioner Katlyn Amason. I am now clear of cancer, Thank God.
The Benefits of Working Out
Starting at age 12, my grandfather that loved sports, encouraged me to work out that included strength training. Now soon to be 67, I have the health and fitness that I enjoyed in my mid-30’s. What is amazing about maintaining your health and fitness is the multiple benefits we can enjoy from a workout program that has multiple benefits.
Working out improves our bodies, mental and especially our spiritual life as well. I call my workout program my active meditation, especially working out on the boxing bag. But a tremendous benefit we gain from our workouts, especially if it includes strength training, is younger looking skin that is age-defying. I don’t know of too many people over the age of 40 that would like to look younger.
The Apostle Paul had one of the best takes on one’s workout, especially referring to the boxing bag- 1 Corinthians 9: 26-27 So I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air. Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
Dedication
I would like to dedicate this to Dow Tiner that was a great friend, person, Christian man, and welder that got me interested in welding.