Legacy

My friends and I were talking about life and the fact we were nearer the end than the beginning. One of the things we talked about was our "legacy. As with many of our discussions, we had many different opinions about what "legacy" even involved.

For one or two of us, it was about what knowledge, insights, and values you passed on to your friends and family. For others, it was about the material things you left for others. One friend mentioned the impact your life may have had on others.

What I thought was interesting was when the term first came up in discussion, many of us thought of the term 'legacy' as one frequently used by organizational fundraisers seeking money for endowments.

We quickly moved on from that idea, but I thought the advertising is working. One of my friends suggested that legacy can mean anything you are passing along (photos and records) from your own or your family's history.

I made the observation that many youngsters don't seem to want treasured household goods (or cars) these days. Everyone agreed that was an issue, but no one had figured out a way to solve this problem. As boomers many of us were collectors and now we have these, what we think, are wonderful collections, that very few of our family values or want to have today.

One of the best ideas that came out of the discussion was the idea of creating a Life Storybook might be a good example of a family legacy, and the group agrees that carrying your memory on through the years by whatever means is the broadest definition.

Saving your knees 2

Treatments for osteoarthritis is directed at controlling the inflammatory response and maximizing your body's ability to compensate for the damaged joint. You should check with your doctor about which treatment is best for you. There are however some things that you might do to help yourself if you have osteoarthritis, such as:

1. Maintain a healthy weight.

Toting around excess weight places tremendous pressure on your knees. “For every pound of weight you put on, the knees will have four more pounds of force on them and even more than that when you go up or downstairs.

2. Keep moving.

Regular physical activity helps maintain joint function, including strength and range of motion in the knees, which means less force gets applied to the knee.

3. Strengthen the muscles that support your knees.

Developing strong thigh muscles — especially the quadriceps, hamstrings and abductors — improves range of motion, protects knee cartilage and reduces. An aquatic exercise is an excellent option for patients who have difficulty exercising.

4. Perfect your posture.

Make a point of standing tall, with your head in line with your shoulders, your shoulders directly over your hips, your hips aligned with your knees, and your knees aligned with your feet. Doing “Pilates, yoga, tai chi and core-strengthening exercises such as planks and back extensions can help improve your posture.

6. Listen to your knee pain.

If you develop pain and swelling in your knee, take a break from walking, running or any other high-impact activity you're doing. Give your knee the RICE treatment — rest, ice, compression and elevation — and take an anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen.

Saving your knees 1

We used to think that with the passage of time, a certain amount of wear and tear on your joints are inevitable. This is not true. Osteoarthritis is a condition once thought to be due simply to wear and tear on the cartilage of a joint. Osteoarthritis is now known to be a complex process that involves an active disease process.

Normal joint surfaces are covered with a smooth layer of cartilage. This cartilage is the surface that is worn thin in a condition called osteoarthritis. The problem that causes osteoarthritis is due to more wearing away (degradation) and less repair of the cartilage surface. There is both a mechanical (wearing away) part of osteoarthritis, and a biologic (abnormal joint biology) part of the disease.

Research over the past decade has focused on finding the underlying causes of osteoarthritis, and how understanding these causes may shape future treatments. The medical community is now aware that patients who have osteoarthritis likely have multiple risk factors that have led to their development of this condition.

It is known that osteoarthritis tends to affect older individuals, but it is not clear why some people develop arthritic changes in their 40s and 50s, while others live long lives with few joint problems.

People once thought that osteoarthritis was simply due to the demands an individual placed on their joints throughout life. Many people attribute their arthritis to the activities of their youth. But it really is not that simple. Many people who run and play competitive sports have no problems with arthritic joints.

It is now understood that osteoarthritis is not an inevitable part of ageing. It seems as though a combination of different factors leads to the development of osteoarthritis in individuals. In different people, different factors may be more important, but it is unusual to have just one underlying problem that causes osteoarthritis.

If you have osteoarthritis physicians must better understand the disease to best find an individual solution. While osteoarthritis was once thought to be confined to the cartilage surface, it is now known that osteoarthritis affects the entire joint causing loss of cartilage, damage to bone, the formation of bone spurs, and inflammation of the soft tissues.

Cartilage undergoes a normal cycle of breakdown and repair, but in the condition of osteoarthritis, the cartilage is not replaced effectively, and ultimately the joint lining wears thin. The fundamental problem of osteoarthritis is thought to be the imbalance between fresh cartilage production, and natural degradation.

As the joint surface wears away, the body attempts to correct the problem. Your body will initiate an inflammatory response to the joint, causing swelling. New bone in the form of bone spurs is created to increase the joint surface area. Unfortunately, your body cannot compensate for the cartilage that is lost, and the painful condition of osteoarthritis is the result.

Carry me away

Do you ever get carried away? If so - ask yourself this: 

"Who does the carrying?"

Do you get carried away by other people?  Do you get swept up in their ideas, their plans, their enthusiasm? Or do you get carried away by yourself?

It is far to easy to be carried away by other people. We love to be around people who are enthusiastic, who are fun, who have ideas and who act on these ideas. The issue is that when we get carried away by others, we may lose our perspective and our own goals, dreams and wishes.

We need both leaders and followers to make our sense of community work and to make our communities prosper and better places. However, there are times when you should be the follower and there are times when you should be the leader. If you get carried away by becoming super excited about the possibilities that might lie ahead and you start going for broke - convinced that everything you touch will turn to gold, you will attract others to your cause. This is great leadership and you will benefit many with your leadershi9p.

However, you get carried away by the unholy trinity of demons:

•Fear

•Uncertainty

•Doubt

An absolutely  HUGE part of owning your life and living like you matter revolves around taking control of the stories you tell yourself. You see each of us controls the narrative in our head.  Why not choose to be carried away by angels instead of demons? If the angels carry you away, then you will lead others to a good place, but if the demons take you away, you will lead others to a dark place. The choice is yours.