I've now been living in Thailand for over 6 months, and what a beautiful country and people we have in this part of the world. An amazing history that most of us growing up in the west aren't aware of, and an affordable lifestyle that allows peace of mind and relaxation.
The down side of these benefits, particularly for those in their 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s who have decided to make Thailand their destination to either retire or spend many months in the year to relax away from their struggles, is that it is easy to lose track of your personal health and wellbeing due to the relatively low cost of living and affordable distractions at your disposal.
On many occasions, I travel from my residence in the beach city of Pattaya along the main roads facing the sea, and from very early hours, there will be unlimited numbers of foreign men clearly from western countries such as America, Australia, Britain and Europe, lining the bars with beers in hand looking relatively bloated, old, burnt, and unhealthy, patiently waiting for some bar girl from some Thai village to sit with them and provide them company for a few hours.
At some stage in life, there is a level of respect we show to people who decide to make a lifestyle change and do what they really want to do with their life, and this has to be acknowledged, and in fairness, having never walked in the other person's shoes, it would be unfair to judge whether they are making the right choices or not. They may well have had some life changing and traumatic life experiences and issues affecting them personally, financially, and in many other ways, and they may have decided enough is enough.
However, the phrase health is wealth is never more true as we get to the later stages in life. Looking after our health as we are older is paramount to the quality of life we will lead in the final chapters of our journey. From my personal point of view, living in Thailand is and has been amazing, however, if I didn't look after my health, and I was having issues with my heart, my breathing, my lungs, walking around, being able to travel, then Thailand would be the last place I would want to be in, it would be better to be back "home" utilizing the medical services of my home country to take care of me.
Having good health allows us, at any age but in particular later in life, to explore all the lifestyle options and live like we were in our 20s, enjoying travel, nights out, making new friends and generally having the time of our lives. But without good health, the story could end in a very desperate, sad, and depressing demise.
Look after your health. Health is wealth.
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