Death of a Star

Much has been made of the death of Whitney Houston.  She was one of the world's best singers.  Anytime one of songs came on the radio, I stopped everything I was doing and listened.  There was no way I could continue with my activities while she was singing.  She had a history of drug and alcohol abuse.  No illegal drugs were found in her room.  So did she die of drug and alcohol abuse? 

It will be weeks before we know the cause of death, but one thing is sure.  The consequences of our action is certain.  It may not be soon, but we will pay the consequence for our behavior.  That goes for drug and alcohol use as well as over eating, poor diet, lack of exercise, and ignoring health concerns.  The same can be said for our attitude toward others, poor handling of finances, ignoring maintenance on our homes or cars, and taking care of business.

It is quite possible that Whitney Houston had not engaged in drug or alcohol use on the day she died.  Years ago another singer, Karen Carpenter died after years of battling an eating disorder.  She had sought counseling and recovered, however the damage had been done to her body.  Our body does not recover just because we begin treating it appropriately.  Our credit score does not immediately recover when we begin working on it.  The pain of immediately forgotten when we apologize for hurtful words or actions toward others. 

The bottom line is that there is a consequence for any decision we make or behavior we engage.  My husband said, "If you dance to the tune, you have to pay the piper."  The consequence is not always immediate.  Sometimes it takes years to see the damage and when we do, there is no reversal.  As we make decisions, let's be aware that there will be a consequence.