When I was growing up my family had dental insurance that required we get regular check-ups, which were covered by the insurance. They recognized that regular check-ups and cleanings helped to prevent more costly procedures later.
The first new car I bought included a warranty that covered routine maintenance like oil changes, etc. because it’s easier, and cheaper, to have that routine maintenance than to cover (under warranty) parts of the car breaking down. Washing a car regularly can also help prevent rust.
Infrastructure is crumbling in many places in North America because all levels of government have put off maintenance. Repairing, or even replacing bridges, streets, sewer systems, and electricity grids not only costs more than maintenance, but also can cause loss of money, loss of property, and loss of lives from this neglect.
As individuals, we’re often guilty of this as well. We fail to do small cleaning tasks and end up with a bigger mess, which intimidates us so we let it grow even more. We eat poorly and don’t move enough, telling ourselves that we’ll change things later, when the weather is nicer or after “the holidays”, and we keep doing this until our health is clearly suffering.
I’m guilty of both of these things, but I’m trying to change that. I’m trying to put things away as soon as I’m done (and stop kidding myself that I’ll be using the item again soon). I’m trying to be consistently more mindful of how I’m taking my physical health, which I think was put on the back burner in my effort to care for my mental health. It shouldn’t be either-or.
Which reminds me, I need to go call to make an appointment for a dental check-up.
