By the time we enter the third and last phase in life (over 60), we should have learnt to deal with temptations coming from our encounter with food, travel, shopping (to name a few).
Food and Travel bring us great joy and pleasure, but might often leave us weary and dependant on 'doctor appointments'.
Most people choose to go along with the temptations and are willing to pay the price. They"ll say: 'life is short', 'we live only once', 'we're but human' - 'let's taste life and enjoy it from all its angles'.
That's all right, provided they're aware of the choice and take responsibility for the consequences; that is, not constantly blaming other factors such as genetics, age, stress, luck (albeit each of these factors does influence our well-being to a certain extent).
Me, I'm trying to resist temptation without fighting it. It's not easy, but it's possible, with the right willpower and a few helpful tips. The reward becomes visible if and when you manage somehow to protect your health, and on the way, save the money that usually goes to those temptations.
On various occasions, I'll also use sayings (see the above) to justify my choice. For example, I'll say about sightseeing - 'oh, well you've seen one, you've seen them all' - which, is of course, not true. The various attractions and places of interest (museums, parks, churches, markets etc..) differ from each other; the ideas behind them, however, are more or less similar so, I'm probably not totally lying to myself.
The two and a half years of Covid in the background, have inserted a certain balance into our heads. Let's hope it stays there. Avoiding excessive/processed food, skipping crowded places, being selective at buying things, and practising good sanitary habits - that's the way we should always follow, covid or not covid.
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