“The greatest wealth is health.”
~Virgil
Today, April 7, is World Health Day. Eating healthy food, getting exercise, and taking care of ourselves are all on today’s recommended to-do list! Of course, we all know that health-promoting activities should be on the to-do list every day, but sometimes we get so caught up in taking care of everything else that we forget to take care of ourselves!
If we don’t make “taking care of ourselves” our number-one priority, we can never be at our best. So, in this moment right now, stop and breathe deeply for a minute. Feel your breath go through your whole body; take in that you are alive—not with your head but with your entire being—and say to yourself, I am alive!
Imagine, we have a whole day set aside specifically for world health!
On this day, sixty-seven years ago, the United Nations established the World Health Organization (WHO). This agency focuses on international public health and raising awareness. This year’s theme is food safety. So, let’s look at what it means to be aware of the safety of our food together:
- What do we have on hand in the refrigerator and freezer?
- What is in our cupboards?
- Do we take a good look at the labels before buying something?
- Are we getting enough fruits and vegetables? How do we wash and prepare them?
- From farm to fork, do we know what our food has gone through to make its way onto our plates?
Today is just about raising awareness, and many of us can’t answer that last question. If you decide you want to know more about World Health Day or food safety in particular, visit the website of the World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2015/en/.
Too many in our world today do not have enough food to be healthy and strong. Many of us who are reading this are very fortunate to often have an abundant supply of safe food on hand. I would like to end here by offering that, in this moment, we express our gratitude for this blessing in our life.
In gratitude for our abundance . . .
Sit with yourself and bring to mind all the wonderful nourishment that is available to you. Stay with this feeling of gratitude for a few minutes, simply breathing. As you feel this sense of gratefulness flow through you, offer loving intentions out into the world that we may all one day have the opportunity to be grateful for our global abundance and good health!
Barb Schmidt is an international best-selling author, businesswoman, philanthropist, and spiritual teacher with over thirty years devoted to spiritual development and research. In 2001, Barb partnered with Florida Atlantic University’s Peace Studies Program to promote dialogue in the greater community on the topic of inner peace. Additionally, she taught a class on meditation and spiritual practices as part of the life-long learning program at Nova University for five years. For the past ten years, she has been offering workshops and classes on spiritual practices throughout the world. A sought-after speaker, Barb regularly lectures at schools and organizations to spread her message of living a meaningful, happy life. 
