Numbers

Well, in the last two days, I've gotten two very important numbers.  It reminded me of my adulthood.  That makes me very uncomfortable.  I got my credit score and my cholesterol score.  I have found that most things in adult life are defined by one of these two numbers.  

With my credit score, I wasn't suprised at all.  I am (almost) 23 years old.  I made bad choices in my younger adulthood.  Nothing too drastic, but I definately didn't the best financial advice I have ever gotten (read:  "Spend less than you make").  It never phased me in my earlier adulthood because I never pictured myself as the married type.  But now that I have a husband, I have forced a lot of my debt upon him.  I figure, "Hey, it comes with the territory, right?"  But in all honesty, it pains me to know my poor financial choices have had an impact on someone else's financial life.  

As for the cholestrol, WOW.  I was floored.  For my ordination process, I had to undergo a physical examination (must of which was quite against my will).  I didn't expect to hear anything other than, "You're fat." That I can deal with. I deal with it every day when I look in the mirror.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am not ok with my obesity (it's eye opening to use that word to describe yourself).  I realize that I must take care of myself for my own health and wellness.  My husband and I are working to make ourselves generally more healthy human beings.  I went to the doctor, form in tow, and went through the exam.  When I had my blood pressure taken, it was quite high.  I wrote it off as seeing a new doctor and being extremely nervous.  Then they ordered the required blood work.  I came back to have my blood drawn, and the nurse took my blood pressure again.  Again, it was high.  Surely it is my medication.  A possible side effect is high blood pressure.  So I go back to the doctor a third time, and get my blood pressure taken a third time.  It's still high.  The nurse showed my to the exam room and I sit and wait for the doctor.  He finally comes in and delivers the bad news.  Not only is your blood pressure high, but I am concerned about your cholesterol...

I went home and cried.  Yes, I know I'm overweight.  But to know that I am now going to fight a health problem fought mostly men in their fifties.  I am a 23 year old woman!!  What the heck?!  Things have got to change... 

What this leads me to think is about how life just gets boiled down to number.  Not just credit ratings and cholesterol, but salary and square footage and mileage.  As we live, we work towards good numbers.  But when we die, nobody stands in front of our coffin saying, "Gee, Ted really had a great credit rating."  I don't know what all this thinking is doing for my thoughts other than realizing that the point of life is simply to not let life get boiled down to one thing, whatever that one thing is.