Meet my grandfather, Poppy. He was brilliant and handsome and talented, and all those other things that granddaughters should think of their grandfathers. Poppy lived next door when I was a child. When he was home, he was baking the most amazing hard rolls I will ever eat. When he wasn’t home, he was on the golf course. He took photographs that still awe me. I remember this smile like I saw it yesterday, and it’s not the kind of memory you get from a photograph, it’s a reach-out-and-feel-his-paper-thin-skin kind of memory. It’s a hear-his-hooting-laugh-and-relish-in-his-blue-blue-eyes kind of way.
But here’s what else I remember about my Poppy. He quit smoking when I was very young for the sake of his health and his family’s heath. He always wore a hat and sunscreen on the golf course or at the beach. He never ate more than he was hungry for. Poppy was healthy. And he was happy. Maybe I should say because he was healthy, he was happy.
I’ve been thinking about Poppy lately (and not just because I would LOVE one of his hard rolls right now), but because he was such an example of this James Leigh Hunt quote, “The groundwork of all happiness is health.” He laid that groundwork and lived a long, amazing, and beautiful life. He lived until he was 90, and I can only hope live that long, to have such a healthy body, and to set such an example of both health and happiness for my own children.
So tell me, who inspires you to be healthy? And what healthy changes have you made because of them?
Poppy - He’s certainly one of my all time faves, but I must admit that I’ve not thought about him as the paragon of health. Perhaps it’s because when he quit smoking he took up Butterscotch Lifesavers with a vengeance that would scare the most sugar addled trick or treater. Regardless, he was exceptionally happy. In light of the James Hunt quote I’m more inclined to think of what diversity there is in health. To be really and truely healthy it is working hard. It is not smoking. It is getting outside, even if you are on the golf course. It is always taking time for the ones you love (as his grandchild he helped make me happy). And, while I am reluctant to document this somewhere my kids might find it, it is Butterscotch Lifesavers. Personal health is an amazing thing and I am continuously amazed at how much it encompasses. Thanks for the post!
Okay. So maybe he wasn’t Mr. Universe healthy. And I blame him for my genetic sweet tooth for sure. Here’s where Poppy succeeded: he made it seem so simple. He enjoyed what he enjoyed: golf, bread, coffee, Life Savers, family, photography, woodworking. And all of those joys made him this amazing package I would call very healthy. There’s a reason he lived to see 90. So I like your theory of health being diverse. And the results of health are just as diverse. Happiness, long life, success can all be off shoots to physical health.
And, by the way, big brother, I’m totally sending your kids Butterscotch Life Savers next chance I get. You know, in honor of all things Poppy.