Beech Tree News Network

Recently, I came upon two broadcasts that taught me and reminded me about the importance of doing what is right.  Right for the physical body, right for the soul, and right for those around you.  One was an interview with Dr. Sanjay Gupta on “CBS Sunday Morning” the other was an inspirational address by retired coach Lou Holtz on YouTube (My friend, Michelle Phelps Tutko posted it on her fb page—thanks Michelle.)  Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a renowned brain surgeon at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.  Coach Lou Holtz is an inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame.  Both men gave excellent advice and made several points worth listening to.  I took home three from each.

Most of the time when I hear somebody on TV espousing the importance of doing this, that or the other or eating this, that or the other, I ignore it.  I’m pretty much set in my ways when it comes to food or activity.  For some reason, the interview with Dr. Gupta made me sit up and listen.  The verse, “The wise man makes knowledge acceptable,” comes to mind.  Dr. Gupta is a brain surgeon and has been interested in the brain’s downward spiral into dementia since he was a teen and one of his grandparents was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. 

 As he was going through his list of important things to do for the brain, three got my attention: Exercise, Berries and Change.  Didn’t expect those last two, did you?  Me neither, let me explain.   We all know exercise is important to the body, but I had never thought about the way exercise is important to the brain.  Dr. Gupta said, “When you move, it’s like you’re signaling to the body, I want to be here, I’m not ready to go.”

During the winter months, I am tempted to etch the words, “Don’t Make Me Do Stuff” on the door of my BBC room.  I hunker down in sweatpants in front of British mysteries with coffee and pastries, only getting up to throw more wood on the fire if I feel a draft.  Dr. Gupta’s explanation gave me reason to pause.  “What if my body doesn’t know I want to be here, that I’m not ready to go,” I thought.  “I had better get up and do stuff, so there aren’t any misinterpreted signals to my brain.”  That very day, I helped Garey cut wood.  I could barely get out of bed the next morning.  Maybe, I should have started with a brisk walk to the kitchen.

Berries, the second item on the list, aren’t something I ever really thought of when I thought of brain health.  Dr. Gupta explained, “Berries, in terms of what they can do for your brain, are one of your best foods.”  We are in the middle of the winter season here in Kentucky, which means affordable berries are in short supply.  I Googled grapes to see if they are berries.  They are, so I guess I will go with grapes till my strawberries and blackberries come in season.  If this berry thing works out for me, I will save a ton on post-it notes, and I will be able to use my bathroom mirror as a mirror, as well.

Change, the third take-away, intrigued me.  Dr. Gupta said, “If you can get outside your comfort zone every day, you’re probably harnessing other real estate in the brain you don’t always uses every day.  Practice makes perfect, but it’s change that brings resiliency.”  I am feeling pretty resilient right now, because there are plenty of things I’ve started, but haven’t practiced till they were perfect.  Currently, I’m working on exercises in shading and light in a bargain book I bought on drawing.  This, from a person who is struggling to draw a teacup, but hey, it’s change.  I feel good about myself.

The second set of threes was a reminder of things I know, but don’t always pay attention to.  On the statue of Lou Holtz on the Notre Dame campus, there are three words: Trust, Commitment, Love.  In his speech, Holtz said, “We all need something to do, someone to love, someone to believe in, and something to hope for.”  That all seems pretty straight forward, doesn’t it?  The thing that made me pay attention this time was this statement: “If you want to fail, you have the right to fail.  That’s what’s great about this country.  But you do not have the right to cause other people to fail.”  Holtz went on to explain that if you are in any kind of relationship, a parent, a teacher, a boss, an employee, a spouse, you owe it to the other people in the relationship to bring your best, “the best to your ability with the time allotted,” Holtz said.   

I have a lot of things to keep me busy in this new year, six things, to be exact—a pair of threes.