I know, I know. You're sick of hearing the word 'wellness' or maybe it's the phrase 'wellness lifestyle' that makes you grind your teeth. But it's a real thing and, as I get older and perhaps wiser, I find myself trying to surround myself with more good than bad.
That includes food, exercise and what I watch and listen to. More and more, when it’s time for the local news just before bedtime, I find myself watching the upteenth re-run of “Seinfeld” instead. That show unfailingly makes me laugh and feel good and that’s a priceless gift. Seinfeld and Larry David deserve all that money.
Now I realize all of this may sound out of character coming from a television producer who works on a crime/murder broadcast but that's just my point. I do enjoy what I do but, as I write and produce these stories, I try to concentrate on the relationships of those involved in crimes rather than the murders themselves. What drives a person to murder another is something I still find fascinating. And you'll perhaps be heartened to know that, for every killer out there, there are tons more noble cops, lawyers and family members trying to do the right thing.
That said, in my quieter moments or reflection, I try to live a more healthy lifestyle. I don't instantly read my email the moment I wake up and I certainly do not listen to all news radio or watch any of the morning shows. I also don't want to read a newspaper immediately.
What I do instead is look at my overnight Instagram feed which, thanks to those I follow, is filled with beautiful photos of people and landscapes from all over the world.
It's a quiet and refreshing way to ease into the day. I also listen to nature sounds radio on Pandora and then, at some point, I begin to read the New York Times and listen to NPR radio. Most days, I find a lot of it fascinating but, on other days, the news from around the world is so depressing that I just turn the page or turn it off.
I contribute money to worthy causes but, other than that, there's not much I personally can do about the bombing of Aleppo or the hurricane that hit Haiti. I feel for those people but I find myself not wanting to dwell on all that suffering. It's mentally draining and, well, not too healthy to gorge on, in my opinion.
If that makes me shallow, so be it. We all need to find a way to survive that feeds our souls and, after a lifetime of being on the front lines of news, I find myself turning away. Besides, I live in New York so I get all the reality I need on my subway commute each morning.