Today started the confirmation hearing for Judge Sonia Sotomayor to become the first Latina on the United States Supreme Court. There were lots of questions today about how she would interpret the law and how she would apply the law. Her final answer of the day about how she would make decisions was that she would act with fidelity to the law. I’d never heard of anyone speak about fidelity as it relates to their profession. We only get to hear it when we speak about the sanctity of marriage or sound quality of speakers. This certainly added a new twist.
This got me thinking about those of us facing a chronic or life-threatening illness and wondered if were were practicing fidelity to our health. Do you take the vow of wellness seriously enough to make a pledge that you stand by regarding how you treat your body? It’s not only about your physical being but your emotional and spiritual being as well. Faithfulness or fidelity to your health is a commitment that one should not take lightly and when you become an infidel, especially if repeatedly, you’ll get caught. Your body will rat you out to your doctor by the results of your lab tests. Your spiritual director or therapist will know you’ve been a health infidel when you aren’t standing in your integrity. The body has its own ways of selling you out. Don’t underestimate the power of the body to blow the whistle on you at a moments notice.
Facing a health challenge is like creating a new relationship with your body. It requires a getting acquainted time, a dating time and a commitment phase where you pledge your devotion to getting well. Self-sabotage causes you to become a health infidel and that just feels lousy on multiple levels. Maintain your level of health fidelity and you’ll expeirence better outcomes on your journey to wellness.
Pilgrim Pathway/Surviving Strong 