Don’t miss-d-boat

The end of summer marks the beginning of so many activities each year.

Life begins to revolve around school, community organizations, church and sports. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and even left behind.

One summer, my wife Carol and I were camping in a remote site on Lake Chelan. A small boat came up to the dock and out popped a dog, a little girl, her dad and grandma.

The large black dog was introduced as “Mooky” and she immediately busied herself looking for chipmunks. The family enjoyed a short walk to a lovely waterfall, a little snack, and a quick swim in the crystal clear lake. They toweled off, got into their boat refreshed, and left.

Mooky, however, was forgotten about.

Carol looked at the dog and the dog looked at the departing boat and I looked at Carol. By the time we realized this nice family had left their best friend, the boat was too far and too noisy to hear our calls.

We couldn’t help but laugh, wondering nervously when they would realize they were missing Mooky.

Mooky was busy looking for chipmunks: She missed the walk to the falls. She missed real food. She missed the swim. Ultimately she missed the boat.

There is a lesson in this story that relates to health.

We must look at our chipmunks. What is it that preoccupies us and cheats us out of true health? Perhaps it is a reliance on medications. Addictions, by their nature, are hollow pursuits.

Perhaps it’s being too busy. Remember: Even if we win the rat race, we still cross the finish line as a rat.

We all have our chipmunks. If we can identify them, we can make sure they don’t distract us from what’s truly important.

Chiropractic is a vital part of realizing true health. If your spine is working to improve your body’s function, all realms of your life will work better. You will be healthier and you won’t miss the boat, distracted by empty pursuits.

We were happy to see the boat turn around and we were amused by the shouts of comfort to Mooky, as they floated across the water. Most of all, Mooky was happy -- she was not going to be left behind again.

Dr. Ray Pope has been a licensed chiropractor in Washington since 1985. He practices on Camano Island at Action Potential Chiropractic, Inc.