We’re mostly packed up and ready for the slopes! We’re planning to leave tomorrow after work, skiing Saturday through Monday, and flying home Monday night. We’re so excited! We’ve both been working out, trying to get our legs and lungs in shape. On a related note, Jenny has joined a health club for a year, and she’s really enjoying it so far. I’m proud of her new drive, and also thankful because it helps motivate me to stay in shape as well.

I read an interesting editorial on health care in the Dallas Morning News recently. It pointed out that our current health care system is very reactive and offers little incentive to take care of yourself. If you happen to get sick or hurt, you go to the doctor, and your employer or insurance provider pays most of the bill. But if you take the initiative to take better care of yourself through gym memberships, vitamins, losing weight, quitting smoking, or other wise moves, you pay any costs involved. The personal benefits of these positive activities are the only reward, and often they don’t appear right away. So it’s much easier to think short-term and eat whatever you want, lay on the couch all day, keep smoking because it’s just too hard to quit, and then run to the doctor if anything goes wrong. The results of this system are all around us – many American adults are out of shape, overweight, and generally making poor health choices. Your homework for this week is to think up ideas for a better system. =)