[00:00:00] Hey there, it's Ramsay here. What's worthwhile? I've been asking myself that for the past couple of months, and I feel like now I have the beginnings of an answer for me. Maybe for you. You'll need to answer this big question for yourself, of course. I've found that what's worthwhile for me is building mind, body and spirit wellness. This journey I've been on recently has been an exploration of my interests and an attempt to decide what to do next based on what's important. But it has also been a healing journey and the parts that resonate the most. The pieces I want to explore further relate to the connection of mind, body and spirit, how wellness flows out of those connections, and how to build strong habits, approaches, and behaviors related to mind, body and spirit. In order to promote wellness in this podcast, I took deep dives into my five areas of greatest interest. I combined those with discussions with really interesting people. Let me try to summarize and integrate some of what I learned from Jose. I learned that everyone has so much to offer if we take the time to listen, and that there is great joy in seeking difficult accomplishments. From parfait, I learned that belonging is both a lifelong personal journey and also a gift that we can give others. I learned from my deep dive on bridge building that spanning divides between people demands strong trust and foundations on both sides. I learned from Larry and Walt that friendship can transcend opinions and perspectives. I learned from my deep dive into political reform that there are viable alternatives to seek more participation than just the tired two party system. In my deep dive into health and fitness, my own pride in my good health got in the way. Even as I tried to give and share advice. I needed a better, bigger perspective. I learned from Molly that our environment affects us constantly in invisible and profound ways. I began to glimpse that things are so much bigger and deeper and more interconnected than I had thought. In my deep dive into sustainable energy, I learned that although we need to move away from fossil fuels to renewable energy, there are no perfect answers and even renewables require resources and minerals to support energy storage and distribution. From DEVR, I learned that even though transition to solar power is good, it needs to be just and we need protections to see that consumers can become producers without being taken advantage of. From Robin, I learned that it takes courage to decide to lean into spreading love and shining light into the world, even as it is necessary to protect and shield oneself from harm. I agonized over the deep dive into christian spirituality. Something hadnt clicked yet. I learned from Paco that innovation is coming back around to local, people centered production all across the world. I got a better view of how much bigger the world is than I usually see. So I tried to strike a balance in my deep dive on christian spirituality between expressing my beliefs and not imposing them on others. By then I couldnt separate spirit from mind and body, and I spoke about all three. Ultimately, I found some solace as I learned from Seth that life, like symphonies, use harmonies and discordance to tell a story. I learned a lot. I'm thankful for this experience. I'm grateful to all those who came onto the podcast with me, and I appreciate everyone who has listened and supported me. But hang on. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not saying goodbye or putting away my microphone, but I'm definitely shifting, pivoting. I remember some bad time travel movie from my childhood ended with a line, this is not the end, but it is the end of the beginning. So based on all of that, I have decided that what's worthwhile for me is building mind, body and spirit wellness in myself and hopefully empowering others to do so in yourselves. With that true wellness, we'll have the foundations to reach out to others, to build bridges, to participate productively in society, to generate and use energy sustainably, to live and laugh and love and do our jobs, whatever they may be. What do I mean by wellness? Wellness is the opposite of illness or disease. Wellness is the natural and proper state of health and well being. With and through increased wellness comes the alleviation and reduction and relief from symptoms. Increasing wellness is addressing the root causes of ailments and their symptoms as opposed to treating or masking symptoms. I believe mind, body and spirit are distinct but interconnected. Mind refers to what we think, consider, learn, and decide. Body is what we physically maneuver and sense and experience. Spirit is what we feel, believe, intuit and discern. Each of us is mind, body and spirit individually, and we interact with each other, our environments, and the natural world. With all three. We feed them, we use them, we tap their energy, and we charge it up again. We flow in waves, create harmonies, and collide into discord. I know I'm getting pretty abstract at this point. I'm still wrapping my mind, body and spirit around these ideas right now. I understand enough to know that I think our goal ought to be peace of mind, vitality of body, and joy of spirit. I want to build these things in myself and hopefully in others. I'm a builder by nature. Often I'm rebuilding stuff, taking old, worn out things and trying to make them better and like new again. Here's a glimpse into my building process or my rebuilding process. Recognize a need for change determine what is good and should be kept. Decide what is tired or rotten and should be replaced or repaired. Imagine what could be. Design and refine some concepts. Make sketches. Try things out. Experiment. Build models, make decisions, make plans, assemble the tools and supplies needed. Establish a schedule, make the time tear out the old and tired. Salvage and recycle what you can and dump the rest. Reinforce. Add new materials to build a strong frame add new features get the work done. Add some artistry with decorative finishes. What do you think? Perhaps that's a good analogous process for improving our mind, body and spirit wellness? I think it can be. I'm working on that now for myself. These days I have a ton to learn. My hope is to reach out to many more interesting people who have insight and experiences and training in these areas and continue to have great discussions on the podcast. I'll try to share with you what I am learning through my research and experiences and growth. I'll try not to be arrogant or prideful or preachy about what I think I know. As always, I'll recommend you think for yourself and come to your own conclusions. I think I've got the beginnings of an answer and for today, that is enough. Thank you for asking. What's worthwhile? Visit whatsworthwhile.net to learn more about me, Ramsey Zimmerman, and please provide your name and email to become a supporter. I'm asking for prayer, advice, feedback and connections. The what's worthwhile podcast is on Spotify, Apple, iHeart and Amazon. You can also
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