As I sit in my office, my mind drifts to my father. You may be surprised to learn that he was one of the nearly 500 million people — about one in three — caught in the crosshairs of the 1918 flu pandemic. Like many young healthy adults, he landed in the hospital, where this deadly flu almost cost him his life. 

It was a brush with death that changed the course of his life. 

I can only imagine how isolated and lonely my father must have felt. Separated by a window, his loved ones could only watch from afar as he suffered through cold sweats and hot flashes and the delirium brought on by severe flu. His thoughts would have been his only companion, including thoughts about the purpose of his life.

As he reflected on his life, my father felt that he really hadn’t accomplished much. At the time, he was in his 30s and working in Beaumont, Texas, as a comptroller for a ship building company. He had recently returned from China where he had honed his skills as an accountant and businessman. There were things that he was proud of such as his high grades in school and the opening of a branch for Socony in China, and there were also things he was looking forward to such as the birth of his first child.

Yet, my father felt that he hadn’t really brought anything new to the world, and that bothered him. He wanted to do something that would make a difference. A big difference. 

He thought back at some of his earlier observations while living in China. He noticed that the people in China rarely drank milk and that brittle bone disease was very common. Maybe milk could help with that? He also noticed that people living on rural farms who ate plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables were healthier than city dwellers. 

This was it. What could make a bigger difference than helping people improve their health? 

He headed back to China, this time as an employee for an American milk company and ultimately forming his own company. In his spare time, he began to experiment with nutritional extracts from plant materials and supplemented the diets of his family and friends. He also learned as much as he could about Traditional Chinese Medicine. 

In many ways, his illness was the inspiration for my father’s deep appreciation of the importance of balance in the diet and what would become his lifelong obsession with health and wellbeing.

History repeats itself

It’s a bit eerie when you compare such different eras, 100 years apart, and see so many similarities — masks, glass windows separating the healthy from the sick, physical distancing, and the feelings of isolation from family and community. 

What’s different is those who are the most vulnerable today are adults with chronic conditions, especially obesity. This really drives home the importance of prevention. 

As many of you know, I’ve spent a lifetime championing the importance of prevention by eating a healthy diet, staying active, getting enough restful sleep, and taking time to destress.

Now more than ever, it’s time to put prevention into practice.

By taking good care of yourself now, you are better able to enjoy a fulfilling and full life for years to come.

A good time to reflect

No question about it, this will be a year that our grandkids and younger generations will ask us about in the future. What did you do? How did you cope? What was it like? Did it inspire you to do anything different? Think about how you will answer these kinds of questions. Perhaps it’s a good time to reflect on the direction of your life and think about pursuing a dream that really matters to you.

Life is a gift. Sometimes we live thinking that we have all the time we need to do what we want in life. We don’t know how long we will be here. Do what really matters to you … each day. Life is a journey.

As my father would say, “It has been an adventure in the highest degree.” I wish the very same for you.

Cheers,

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