I was cleaning my desk and came across a little piece of paper that says the following:
The mind is like a parachute – it does not work if it’s not open. — Charlie Chan
Not wanting to misquote anyone or give the wrong person credit, I did a quick internet search on this quote and discovered that a very similar one is attributed to Frank Zappa: A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open. I also found the following attributed to Frank Zappa: The mind is like a parachute it works best when opened.
It’s like a game of “Telephone.” The exact words (and the person who said them) keep changing. But the message is the same. This, of course, reminded me of diabetes because we all get slightly different words from our friends, relatives, health care providers, but the message is the same: take care of yourself, be healthy and have a good life.
How we go about doing that will vary from person to person – some exercise more, some watch food more carefully than others, some check blood glucose levels more frequently, some use all the gadgets, others stick with what’s been working for years.
Regardless of how much we do or how we do it, keeping an open mind can help us meet new people, learn new “tricks,” and enjoy new experiences. Not always easy, but something to strive for.