Cariboo-Prince George MP Todd Doherty is imploring area residents to take better care of their health after he nearly died as the result of emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder.
He's fully aware he's the first person who needs to take his advice. As an MP so far, Doherty has only had two speeds - fast and faster. He's kept up a brutal schedule between his riding and Ottawa, with little time devoted to rest and relaxation. This is his dream job and he wanted to make sure he would never have any regrets of not doing enough, not trying hard enough.
That's an impossible standard, of course. It leave no room for sleep, personal time, family time or any kind of failure. As he put it in a Facebook post, "there's always a pressing call, email, text or meeting" that was more important than stopping to catch his breath.
As a Rotarian (full disclosure: Doherty and I are both members of the Nechako Rotary Club), he has taken Rotary's pledge - service above self - to its extreme. His recent experience has shown him - and it should show others - that service above self is not an either/or equation. Self is important but service is even more important. Fulfilling our selfish needs makes us healthy and happy but helping others with their needs gives our lives meaning.
Former Rotary International director Brad Howard has deconstructed the service above self pledge, pointing out that people join Rotary and other service clubs for selfish reasons and stay for selfish reasons. They want to raise money for and work on community projects. They want to be around other like-minded people and be inspired by others.
That gratification to be of service to others - whether it's as a Rotarian, an MP, a teacher, a coach, a mentor or a parent - is both selfish and selfless. It allows us to make a positive difference in the lives of those around us for own benefit because our greatest successes are when we help others succeed.
Bill Gates has publicly stated that it's not creating Microsoft that has defined his life - although he's certainly proud of that significant accomplishment. It's being a good husband, a good parent and devoting billions of his wealth towards improving the world, such as his partnership with Rotary to eradicate polio, that keeps him going. In other words, even one of the world's most wealthiest men defines his self-identity through what he can do for others and it makes him feel great.
To keep giving of ourselves to others well, however, requires us to take care of our physical and mental health. We can't help others without helping ourselves. Every plane passenger is informed that in the event that the cabin depressurizes during the flight, requiring the oxygen masks to drop down, everyone should put their own mask on first, before their own children and others who require help.
Everybody knows the basics. Exercise regularly. Get eight hours of sleep each night. Eat healthy proportions of food with plenty of vegetables. Limit smoking and alcohol consumption. Don't bring work home with you. Put down the phone and the game controller. Step away from the TV and the computer. Read a book (one with pages). Get a hobby. Walk the dog, hang out with friends, talk to your spouse and play with your kids.
Yet we're driven to distraction, by desire, by ambition, by boredom, by laziness. Life gets in the way and then we lose our way.
When we're lucky, as Doherty was, we survive the scare that makes us stop long enough to take stock, to get our priorities in order once more, to get back to basics.
And even that might not be enough.
No one is immune to tragedy and no one is guaranteed a full and healthy life, regardless of how well they take care of themselves and others around them.
That makes living each day to its fullest important but that only works in the long term by taking care of ourselves well enough so that we have the opportunity to live tomorrow to the fullest, too.
Best wishes to a full and speedy recovery, Mr. Doherty. There is much work for you to do but all of it will wait while you focus on the tough task of getting better.
