As I have gotten older – and hopefully a bit wiser – what I place value on has changed. What I get excited about has changed. How I choose to invest my time, energy and money has changed.

     One way to look at what it is we value is to simply look at what material possessions we cherish the most. Over the past handful of years, the material possessions I get the most excited about are a pair of selvedge denim jeans, a pair of Redwing boots, and a cast iron frying pan.

     What is it about these items that I value so much? They all get better with age and wear. Every time I wear those boots and jeans and every time, I cook with that pan I know that they are getting even better.

     This is in such massive contrast to most of our current ‘throwaway society.’ We buy TV’s, computers, appliances and even cars that we expect to last us only a few years before we upgrade to the next new and shiny version. Very rarely do we even repair things anymore, we just toss them out (remember when TV, radio, and appliance repair shops were all over town?).

     It feels good knowing that my jeans will be even better in a few years. It feels good knowing that my      boots (still not completely broken in after 4 years) will be works of art in ten years – and look damn cool! It feels good knowing that my kids and even perhaps their kids will inherit my frying pan and continue to make it even better.

     Like anything else, there is a price to be paid for getting better with age. Typically, items of this type of value cost more initially. We need to invest in ‘good stuff’ if we expect it to get better over time. I remember paying over 200$ for my baseball glove when I was 16 years old (that is over 30 years ago). A couple of years ago when my son was at a baseball camp, he had my glove and the other kids we in jealous awe of that beautiful hunk of leather.

       Things of value often require an investment of time as well. Selvedge jeans are stiff and do not always look that cool at first. Redwing boots really hurt your feet during the initial phase of wear. A cast iron pan needs to be seasoned and is not perfectly non-stick at first.

     Items of real value also require ongoing care. I only was my jeans in certain ways and at certain times and I currently need to take them in to be patched (which makes them cooler). I regularly clean and condition my boots and will need to resole them next year. The frying pan needs to be cleaned and re-seasoned in just the right way.

     Is the extra effort worth it? I sure think so.

     I believe that these lessons apply – perhaps even more powerfully – to other areas of life. Especially our health.

     I think that it is obvious that we should value ourselves and our health significantly more than our material possessions.

     How can you get better with age? How can your health improve each year? How can you invest your time, energy, and money to ensure that you are getting better over time? What difficult investments can you make in yourself now that will pay dividends in the future.

     You see, these are the important questions that can create lasting value in your life. Most people never ask them because they think that they are not possible. Having been a practicing health care professional for over 20 years I can tell you that it is very possible to improve with age.

     At Nexus we have been teaching and helping people how to do this for decades not only in the office but through ongoing workshops and presentations. These events ground to a halt with C-19, which has been a big loss of value for everyone.

     Keep an eye out in the coming months for ways to access these tools consistent with the care we provide without having to gather, so that we can all continue to age like a pair of Redwing boots.

As we get settled in to the new year, there are lots of exciting things happening both inside and outside Nexus Chiropractic. We have some new programs to announce and I will be attending some seminars and training that will continue the never ending evolution of the care we provide you. Due to travel, the office will be closed some days and we have the amazing Dr. Amanda Chan from Ottawa covering on some others.

 

I will be heading to New Orleans on Feb. 1^st where I will be arm candy for my wife at the International Neuropsychology Conference. While I am kind of just tagging along, I do attend the program which is not only interesting but surprisingly applicable to Neurospinal Optimization chiropractic.

Nexus will be closed on Wednesday the first and Dr. Amanda will be here for regular office hours on Thursday, the second.

 

The following weekend I will be off to Denver for the final live seminar of the Master-E plus program I have been a part of for the past 2 years. This program is the latest and most advanced approach being taught by my long time mentor, Donny Epstein.

Dr. Amanda will be covering our hours on Monday, Feb. 13^th and the office will be closed on Tuesday, Feb. 14^th. I will be back and ready to roll on Wednesday.

 

On the weekend of Feb. 17^th we are travelling to Philadelphia where my sons are playing in a lacrosse tournament. The tournament finishes on family day, so we will be driving on Tuesday the 21^st and the office will be closed. Back to regular hours on Wednesday.

 

We have also previously posted about our commitment to providing more extensive workshops to our patients and practice members this year. Our next Head to Toe, Neurospinal Show will be held on Monday, Feb. 27^th at 7pm. At this presentation we explain a bit about what we do at Nexus and then teach you habits and tricks that will help you to keep your spine and nervous system strong and healthy.

On March 14^th we will be presenting Neurospinal Optimization Demystified, which is a rare peak behind the curtain of what I do. This will include a demo with explanation and a chance to ask me anything. You will get so much out of this workshop that you will only need 8 more years of school and hundreds of hours of practice to become an NSO chiropractor yourself!

You can see the entire 2017 workshop schedule HERE.

 

Last but not least, we will soon be announcing the dates for our first ever SEASONS OF HEALING intensive series. This will be 4 workshops – each diving deep into a season and the exercises that will put you on the road to mastery. There will be a small fee for this series and it will be strictly limited to a small number of participants, so keep your eyes peeled.

 

Please take advantage of all Nexus Chiropractic has to offer. We invest a tremendous amount of time, energy and resources to bring you incredible resources for health and healing and nothing makes us happier than seeing those resources put to good use.