On growing old and staying healthy

Today while I was out having dinner at the coffeeshop with my dad I saw something that reminded me of my family. There was a young boy about 5 years of age who was crying and beside him was his mother, who was pregnant with another child. What was interesting was that the mother looked older than the usual pregnant mum, perhaps about 40 years old. And she was having such a hard time trying to stop the child from crying and trying to order food for them at the same time. They reminded me of my family because my mum gave birth to me, her first-born at 35 years old. And to my sister a year later. Both times she got fired by her bosses. And it wasn't easy having to work and raise two young kids in your forties when you are starting to age and your energy level is just not as high as before anymore. So naturally I wondered if this mum is going through the same hardship my mum did, and I also wondered about the boy when he grows up. By the time he graduates from uni, his parents would have been around 60, and I wonder how he is going to support them and himself too. Perhaps the government now is really trying to solve the problem of the aging population, but I think I would have been a lot worse if my parents did not scrimp and save for our family. Even with that, you never know when you're going to need the money for any healthcare emergencies. Being strong is important when growing up, but being strong is even more important when you grow old. I've seen family fortunes whittle away because of health problems.

So lately, I've figured out that the best gift I can give my parents is to stay healthy. Perhaps because of the increasing amount of stress that people have to go through as society progresses, I think people have become less healthy. I see so many unhealthy habits especially in the young people these days. Including me of course. My sister for one skips her meals and survives on snacks. Of course there will be the occasional late nights and lack of appetite, but I think health should ultimately trumps everything. So I am going to try to lead a healthy lifestyle from now on. With a healthier lifestyle, I think it will be much easier to lead a more meaningful life.