A Body In Motion . . .

Many years ago, a coworker taught me a powerful lesson, one that I have carried with me ever since. We were walking around Boulder, and I made a move to cross the street in the middle of the block.

Yes, I was going to jaywalk.

I was a little surprised when my coworker stopped me and asked me what I was doing. We weren’t at work, there wasn’t much traffic, and it was a quicker way to get across then going all the way to the crosswalk. But he explained his thinking: as employees of the Developmental Disabilities Center (what we were called at the time), we were ambassadors of our organization and role models for the individuals we served. We had to act at all times like someone we knew, or someone we supported, was watching us. Because you never knew when somebody might actually be watching us. If we expected the individuals we served to become fully participating members of their communities, we needed to model the behaviors that we, and the community, expected from everybody.

I continue to use that philosophy in everything we do at Imagine!. For example, I strive to have our buildings, offices, and work sites look clean and well cared for – because if a parent of one of the people we serve sees that we can’t take care of our own offices, how can they trust that we will be able to take care of their loved ones?

And that is why I think Imagine!’s wellness initiatives are so important. We all know that the national trends in the health of Americans are going the wrong way. And as a nation there seems to be a consensus that we should be doing more to change our collective eating and exercising habits, but I think most of us would also agree that that sort of change can be challenging.

So, by committing to wellness as an organization, we are modeling that behavior to those we serve and our community. We’ve said we’re not going to jaywalk, even if it is the easiest way to cross the street. We’re leading the way in showing the individuals we serve that healthy living can mean more opportunities to participate in the community.

I know that employees all across Imagine! are modeling healthy behaviors all the time. You see them playing racquetball at the local recreation center, at the top of fourteeners, or on their bikes on their way in to work. You see them participating in company sponsored yoga sessions or walking clubs. You see them eating salads instead of burgers, and carrots instead of fries.

I envision a day when residents living in our group homes, or getting services from our day programs, will be the ones leading the way in requesting more fruits and vegetables, or suggesting a walk around the block instead of sitting in front of the television. That evolution seems inevitable to me, and I’m pleased to be a part of it. As I recall from physics class, a body in motion tends to stay in motion. Just think of the alternative.

Then again, what do I know?