Don't Waste This

Don’t Waste This!

I first heard these words spoken by my father and then teachers, football coaches, lacrosse coaches and for sure my boxing trainers, but these words never had an emotional meaning to me. That all changed when I rented the movie “Saving Private Ryan”. It was as if a movie reel of my life passed in front of my eyes playing a youtube video of every time I was told these powerful life changing words. I got it for the first time in my life. I was motionless as I watched Tom Hanks whisper his last words into the ear of Matt Damon. I had tears running down my face and was left feeling so many emotions. I felt lazy and wanted to do more as I reflected upon my life as I watched Matt Damon kneel in front of Tom Hanks tombstone and ask his family if he had lived up to these three simple, powerful words.  I was numb for a few days after watching the movie and watched the movie several times over the following week, playing Tom Hanks last moment in the movie over and over. “Don’t Waste This”.

I thought of my father, and every other person who spoke these words to me and knew for the first time the passion, concern and love they had for me when they shared them. How they all tried to make me understand how precious and short our time is on this earth.  

It inspired me to raise the bar for my life as a human being, father, husband, and chiropractor. Last year I was reading and searching some chiropractic history on the Internet and I ran across the stories of all the chiropractors that went to jail or worse paid the ultimate sacrifice for the advancement of this profession. I read BJ quotes on Facebook and more on the life and times of BJ Palmer. The books, the never ending sacrifice, the schools, the legal and political efforts, the incarcerations, the multiple failures and successes, and his quiet passing in Florida with little recognition or respect ever paid to his great and unforgettable life that is now burned deeply into the book of human history.

Later that day as I reflected upon all of the sacrifices of this great man, I began to imagine playing the entire movie as if it was a biography of the life of BJ Palmer and I was private Ryan kneeling down at his side as he whispered his last breath into my ear. Given his last moment of life, BJ would have chosen to spend it inspiring me to raise my own expectations for all the lives to save and have yet to live, ensuring they have the best chance of a full, whole, and healthy life.

BJ would have made sure I got it in that last moment, “Don’t Waste This.”

It’s a message he gave all of us knowing how precious time, life, and health is. Knowing we all run out of time and the clock is ticking, “Don’t Waste This!”

I got it like a lightening bolt from heaven itself sent down just for me. To some I may seem over the top, or just an emotional BJ worshiper, or another old fashion innate chiropractor cultist and reading this myself 15 years ago I may have thought the same thing.

Its like seeing the hand of nature herself, the connectedness of it all, knowing there are no accidents as BJ Palmer himself whispers in my ear, “Don’t Waste This”.

As you prepare to speak, adjust, or explain chiropractic to a patient for the first time, know you are not alone; you just need to turn your head slightly to the right and listen to the voice of BJ Palmer whisper,

                           “Don’t Waste This”.

If you are really quiet you might hear him now.

“Don’t Waste This” 

- Dr Joe Borio