Luxury Vehicle or Jalopy?

I am “mom” to four rescue pups who always keep me on my toes. I get a chuckle from their Pavlovian response when they come in from outside and eagerly sit in front of the treat closet (that’s right, closet) and await their treat for being the adorable creatures they are. As a reward for their recent good behavior and terminal cuteness, they were lavished with super healthy soy‑, corn-, and grain-free, non-GMO doggy treats and hearty belly rubs. I perused their treat and meal offerings, and it struck me that my dogs were living the life I strive for. They eat the healthiest, most nutritious food available and get plenty of exercise and lots of love and attention. My dogs are maintaining a much healthier lifestyle than I am, which made me ponder, why do we as humans make sure that our four-legged creatures get the best in life, yet we personally succumb to fast food, sugary treats, social media click baits, and couch surfing? I came across an interesting analogy recently: “What if you were given only one car in your lifetime, and you had to rely on that car not only for transportation, but also for sustaining you and your family financially and emotionally? Once it breaks down, that’s it, you are stuck with it. Now think of your body as a car.” Woah, one car, one body, now that’s a scary concept! It dawned on me that we spend so much time and effort making sure our pets and even our cars are given top-notch treatment, yet we fail to pamper the most important machine of all. 

In our quest to save time and be efficient, we fuel our body, not with proper nutrients, but with what’s convenient and what we crave, which is generally not the healthiest thing on the menu.  Let’s face it, the last time I had a stressful day, I did not crave a big salad. We seek mental stimulation by surfing social media sites but end up getting wound up because of an inflammatory political post or because someone tagged us looking like a “before” picture in a make-up ad. Dealing with customers, audit schedules, auditors, employees, and even family on a day-to-day basis can be emotionally draining, and I began to realize that unless I start treating my body as the Mercedes luxury vehicle that it is, I am going to end up as a broken-down jalopy. I soon began to realize that while providing proper nutrients to fuel my body is a great start, I also need to relax my mind and allow myself to come to peace with the challenges of the day. While belly rubs are not out of the question, for us humans they may be harder to come by. I have a friend who would treat herself to a pedicure once a week because she enjoyed the foot and calf massage that accompanied the service. It was her time to enjoy and meditate and just feel good. After a while, she just told the salon technician to forget about the pedicure portion and go straight to the massage. While I enjoy a good foot massage, what puts my mind on cruise is spending early Sunday mornings listening to Pandora, catching up on various newspapers, sipping coffee, and watching my pooches cavort in front of the fireplace. For two or three hours in the morning, I am disconnected from my phone and focus on myself and renewing my energy for the week. That’s my “me time,” and it sets my mind straight for the upcoming week. This Mercedes may be vintage, but it still has a few good miles left on it!  While Wipfli cannot guarantee a great foot massage, because I’m pretty sure our legal department would not allow it, we can ease some of the stress involved with the day to day challenges of managing an effective compliance program.