Job 19:20
My skin and my flesh cling to my bones,
I have escaped with the skin of my teeth.
It’s Christmas! – The refrain from the Mariah Carey song is running through my head. That and the noise from the yard guys who did not take the day off. I must admit that I am anxious about all the Christmas things I have been invited to since the girls are on the other side of the world. I want to enjoy it all, but my blood pressure is up with the anticipation.
‘Cling’ was also ‘cleave’ and ‘stick’. One source has ‘I am nothing but skin and bones.’ Another had the bones clinging to the skin and flesh.
‘With’ was also ‘by’ which makes more sense as I do not think of teeth as having skin. The meaning of you escaped with nothing but yourself remains either way. One had ‘all I had left is’. I do wonder what the term ‘escape’ is supposed to mean. I assume it is that everything has been impacted except maybe his gums.
One of the many things I have learned and want to incorporate into my life is the need to maintain muscle mass. I have observed old people getting closer and closer to this image of skin and flesh clinging to bones. It turns out this is mainly because people do not increase their efforts to maintain muscle mass as they get older. I have been guilty of this and blame it on an injury, but now I know I have to overcome.
Beyond just lifting weights, I know this means keeping up protein intake. I have always liked eating meat more than other options, but it seems that this is the one eating skill that will help me as I get older. I have always heard you are what you eat, but it appears this phrase carries more truth that I first imagined. I find myself eating some processed foods to get more protein in, but I doubt I really need that kind of help.
The last thing I have learned in this sequence is that we have to keep our hormones working to maintain our health. My body quit making enough testosterone well before I knew it was normal for men. I have struggled to get it replaced in appropriate levels and have had other issues along the way, but I know everyone struggles with these issues as they age. So to wrap up this gift, I want to be healthy and maintain it as long as I live, and God has provided me all I need including the discipline to act on the knowledge.
Written 12/25/25, Posted 1/20/26, Job 420/~1070