A (New) Focus On Health
From Stubborn Avoidance to Conscious Care
Like most men I know, I’ve spent a good chunk of my life treating doctors and dentists like vampires: best avoided unless they’re in a book, film, or tv show.
If it didn’t hurt, bleed, or interfere with daily life, I mostly ignored it.
Preventative care? Not typically on my radar.
Annual check-ups? I’ve only rarely made it that far.
Part of it is the cost. Navigating healthcare in the US can be a financial headache and nightmare. Even with insurance, I’m left wondering if the diagnosis is worth the bill.
But if I’m being honest, a bigger part of my avoidance is sheer stubbornness.
Some of it comes from that old-school “tough it out” mentality. Some from fear—of bad news, of not being in control, of becoming the patient. And some of it is pride, that dangerous cocktail of independence and invincibility I pretend not to drink.
But I’m rethinking things.
Lately, I’ve been tuning in to the signals my body’s been sending. Not just the sharp pains or the sleepless nights, but the smaller cues: fatigue that doesn’t go away with rest. Digestive stuff I used to brush off. A tooth I’ve been ignoring for months.
Maybe it's aging. Maybe it's wisdom. Maybe it’s watching too many people I care about go through health crises that started with something “small.”
Whatever it is, I’m finally, slowly taking small steps toward being more proactive about my physical and mental health.
After a chat last night with a friend fighting diabetes, I realized I also shared many of his symptoms and challenges. He suggested I order a glucose testing kit. Which I did as soon as I hung up the phone. The kit arrived first thing this morning, and based on my first test, it looks like my blood sugar levels are relatively normal.
Bloody, pricked fingers crossed they stay that way.
I’ll be tracking for the next few weeks just to be sure.
Next up is to get my diet and exercise on track. Even if I don’t have diabetes, I could use an overhaul in the diet and fitness departments. I’ve fought a losing battle with obesity since I was a kid. It’s time I started eating better and moving more. I know it would help me feel better.
While I’m working on those things, I’ll be making some appointments—with a doctor, a dentist, and an optometrist. It’s been too long on all three fronts.
I’ll also be drinking more water, improving my sleep “hygiene,” and listening more—to my body and to people who’ve already walked this road.
This isn’t a dramatic reinvention. I’m not running marathons or doing juice cleanses. But I am shifting my mindset. Thinking less about illness and more about wellness. Less about what could go wrong, and more about what I can do right now to stay well.
Health isn’t just about surviving—it’s about feeling good while you’re alive. And maybe, just maybe, it’s worth facing a little discomfort, a little expense, and a little ego-bruising if it means getting a few more good years.
So here’s to finding a new kind of strength—the kind that checks in, speaks up, and isn’t afraid of a follow-up appointment.
Wishing you health, wealth, and happiness!
Clint 🌈✌️
COLLIDE PRESS is a reader-supported publication.
Please consider becoming a paid subscriber or patron.
Thank you. Yes, YOU, boo!
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Beyoncé’s Flag Was Power. Benson Boone’s? Pure Thirst (Instinct)
Zuckerberg’s Antitrust Testimony Aired His Wildest Ideas… (The Verge)
What To Know About Saturday's 50501 Movement Against The Trump Administration (Axios)
ON THIS DAY = APRIL 16
BIRTHDAYS
1867 = Wilbur Wright = American inventor
1889 = Charlie Chaplin = English actor and filmmaker
1919 = Merce Cunningham = American dancer and choreographer 🌈
1921 = Peter Ustinov = English actor and filmmaker
1924 = Henry Mancini = American composer and conductor
1927 = Edie Adams = American actor and singer
1929 = Ed Townsend = American singer-songwriter and producer
1934 = Robert Stigwood = Australian-born British-resident music entrepreneur, film producer, and impresario 🌈
1939 = Dusty Springfield = English singer 🌈
1947 = Kareem Abdul-Jabbar = American basketball player and coach
1954 = Ellen Barkin = American actor
1957 = Essex Hemphill = American poet and activist 🌈
1963 = Jimmy Osmond = American singer
1965 = Jon Cryer = American actor and filmmaker
1965 = Martin Lawrence = American actor and filmmaker
1971 = Selena = American singer-songwriter, actor, and fashion designer
1972 = Raymond Chan Chi-chuen = Hongkongese politician and host 🌈
1976 = Lukas Haas = American actor and musician
1984 = Amelia Atwater-Rhodes = American writer 🌈
1984 = Claire Foy = English actor
EVENTS
1061 = The first recorded same-sex wedding occurs between Pedro Díaz and Muño Vandilaz in the Galician municipality of Rairiz de Veiga. They are married by a priest at a small chapel. The historic documents about the church wedding were found at Monastery of San Salvador de Celanova.
1908 = Natural Bridges National Monument is established in Utah.
1910 = The oldest existing indoor ice hockey arena still used for the sport in the 21st century, Boston Arena, opens for the first time.
1943 = Albert Hofmann accidentally discovers the hallucinogenic effects of the research drug LSD. He intentionally takes the drug three days later on April 19.
HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES
PORTRAIT + QUOTES OF THE DAY
“Nothing is permanent in this wicked world - not even our troubles.”
Charlie Chaplin
“The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.”
Charlie Chaplin
NEW + FEATURED
Always A Pleasure #1 (NSFW)
COLLIDE PRESS Live #2 (Replay)
In The Mood For Bromance #1 (NSFW)
I'm right there with you Clint cheering you on. I've always been naturally fit and active (as fit as a butchers dog is an old 🇫🇴🇬🇧 saying) I led Circuit Training classes in my old YMCA good cardio workouts, road ran with regular 10 mile and half marathon races and winter Country races. Back then I never needed to listen to my body. I naturally started to slow down on reaching THAT certain age and it's been downhill ever since 😁😮 but I was still mobile. 2010 out of the blue I eas diagnosed with THAT male specific cancer, very early diagnosis, radical surgery and full remission and I'm still here to tell the tale. Now that's when I suddenly started to listen to my body. These days I don't take anything for granted and if it don't feel right I get it investigated. Yes we are lucky in the 🇫🇴🇬🇧 that we have the NHS (National Health Service) which is free at the point of service as it's included in our taxation (Obama Care?) Yes it's not a perfect system as it's open to misuses. However you won't die because you can't afford heath care in 🇫🇴🇬🇧. I know which service I prefer to have. So to-date I only take 2 medications which because I'm a senior I don't need to pay for. The meds are for prevention measures too, so overall I'm a very healthy old crock with lower back and lower leg circulation issues 😁 in my Ivory Tower in my mid to later 70's So Clint keep on trucking you'll get there. Cheers DougT 🇫🇴 I hope I didn't bore all the readers 😎
Wonderful shift of focus onto realistic health needs. I am biased, of course. Take good care of yourself. You're much more than worth it. I take 9 different medications a day (plus some supplements) to keep all my blood tests in the normal range (close to the unhealthy limits in some cases). Came back from the hospital check up today. My only abnormal (not very) result is one that tracks my impaired kidney functions. Quality of life is important in my opinion. Well decided, Clint.