Here’s a topic I never thought would come up in an article for runners. The other day I was feeling a little “moody” (I remember calling it “low energy”). Then the thought came – do men have the equivalent of “menopause”? So, of course I googled it. Having no medical training, don’t believe a word I say, but you could also google it yourself! (or, as all the articles mention, consult your medical professional before doing anything about it….:-) Men go through slightly similar conditions as women – as the body slows down its production of (women) estrogen, and (men) testosterone. For some reason the medical community prefers calling the male hormone “androgen”, so what guys go through is called “andropause”. I will quickly point out that what men “go through” is not at all like what women go through (again, this is just personal observation)! The initial symptoms are similar – moodiness, loss of libido (who, me?), fatigue, weight gain (right!), depression, decreased muscle mass and bone loss. But it stops there. Men can continue fathering children, and nowhere in the material I read did it include “hot flashes”. So, we guys have it easy.
The only mention of a cure (or a way to alleviate the symptoms) was through “exercise, better diet, and a decrease in alcohol consumption”. That’s it. So, it’s easy to see why I witnessed a doubling of effort to keep an intense physical routine going these past 15 years. It does take a chunk out of the day (an hour or 2 here or there, everyday). But I also have experienced a normal flow of energy, and a very rare spate of moodiness. Actually, I don’t think that’s the correct word. I just call it “low energy” – where I don’t feel like doing much of anything. I sat in front of my computer wanting to write this article yesterday, and NOTHING came out. I just sat there, and actually fell asleep staring at the computer screen. At first I attributed it all to my lack of desire to confront this topic, but – no – it was just me “falling asleep at the wheel” from several intense cross-country ski workouts in a row. What else can one do, besides hours on the road/on the skis/on the bike/on the trail? I can’t say how much I have enjoyed the prospect of “growing mature” (I did NOT say “growing old” – okay?). My only regret so far is that my hair hasn’t started turning white yet. I want that ultimate sign of wisdom. (hmmm, that implies I know I really am NOT wise, but just want the symbol to suggest it might be true!) Turning 50, and then 60, and soon 70 – I’ve waited for these years as a chance to finally do what I really have always wanted to do. I call it following “noble pursuits” – being more involved in community events, being kind to animals, helping old ladies cross the street – you know the schtick…and basically not having to work to earn a living! I’m talking about doing something that really makes a difference… (I know, I know, our everyday work is supposed to be productive AND constructive, but sometimes the routine makes it all seem a bit blah.). (….lapse of time…) Oh dear, I just fell asleep again at the computer. Andropause, my foot! Actually, many medical professionals do not subscribe to the existence of such a phenomenon, so I’m probably off the hook anyway. I’m not about to take supplements since I don’t really think its real (in my case of course), and besides, the downside to supplements are pretty heavy. I have heard some people in my age bracket who occasionally take stock of their lives, and wonder if their lives have been, what? Worthwhile, productive, did they make a difference, the whole legacy-thing – what am I leaving behind that matters? That has never bothered me much, since I’m too busy gearing up for the next workout (… or falling asleep at the computer!). But now that I bring it all up, yes, I think I should start spending more time/energy on weighing in on the “worthwhile” factor of things as I choose what to do each day. There. Its done, and now I can go take a nap, or go skiing, or any other worthwhile activity!! - David Summerfield
1 Comment
Now What Do I Do - Since The Earth Will Soon Vanish?
This is a follow-up to last month’s article about the fact that the Earth will eventually disintegrate and so we have little reason to “sweat the small stuff”. That’s my take on Vlad’s comments as an astrophysicist. I realized I might sound awfully nihilistic. (I am NOT a nihilist, by the way!) So where to go from here? Knowing that the current civilizations on Earth will be gone long before we can have contact from other intelligent life-forms from somewhere else in the universe, well…..how does one go about a “normal” life with any meaning? I must admit that for awhile, I started questioning why I should go “work-out” at all! Or, why go to work? Why earn a living and go through all those all-too-familiar gyrations everyday? Why not speed up the current gradual physical decline a lot of us notice? I mean, stop brushing teeth….stop taking showers….eat junk food (well, at least lots of chocolate – like me stuffing as many M&M’s in my mouth before starting this essay because – well – they taste good, and I received a momentary good feeling all around!) So, in case some of you dear Wind Drinkers were tempted to do something drastic too, here’s my story: I figure there must be some kind of built-in safety switch inside me somewhere. If I contemplate the notion of “oh, what’s the use?” – I don’t last too long in that dark place. To not brush teeth just one day, and I can’t live with myself (please notice the irony of that last phrase!). Not showering, and the same thing happens. Even if I were told that the Earth would disintegrate next week, I know I’d take my beloved shower every night, I’d go out neat and clean and having just had the best workout of the week. Why on Earth would I do that? Seems pretty comical. I’ve tried going without some kind of a decent workout for one week, and life is just too blah. Taking a day-off after a killer workout (or 2, heaven forbid) and I can’t stand the feeling. The feeling of what? Frankly, the body demands me to keep it in the best shape possible, and that requires constant working at it. Last week while skate skiing up that 1st mile hill on Sourdough, I passed a couple guys talking. They pulled over to give me more room, and as I was passing the first one, I heard “There goes another one – gliding up the hill as if it weren’t there – how does he do it?” I didn’t have time to say anything more than “It’s fun” – but I was thinking – “I work at this every day all winter long so I can actually DO this!” The result is “freedom from the restraints of the body” – plain and simple. That must be why I have to brush teeth, take showers, eat, work, etc. – so I can enjoy what freedoms I can – freedom from being trapped inside a body. And, if I get too consumed by some little activity (like having to keep track of miles – which, by the way, stopped about 7 months ago – whew!!) – then that’s the result of Vlad’s revelations: the Earth is a very temporary celestial body, and that we will probably never communicate with another intelligent alien civilization since the distances between us is too many millions of light years!! And, assuming we all have an inherent built-in safety mechanism that drives us all to keep our lives and bodies and beings integrated, then – enjoy it to the fullest. And, if someone doesn’t seem to have this kind of integrated being, I would encourage them to start skiing or running – some activity that gets them outside (no matter the weather) and gets their heart-rate up, and produces sweat and makes them hungry for (good?) food afterwards, and gives them solid sleep – and gets them ready to start it all over again the next day. And this thinking about personal freedom made me look up what Jean-Paul Sartre said about freedom. I started wondering if this quest for freedom would be the same if I were the only one on earth. I found this quote of Sartre: (you must indulge the philosophy-major I was) “We will freedom for freedom’s sake, in and through particular circumstances. And in thus willing freedom, we discover that it depends entirely upon the freedom of others and that the freedom of others depends upon our own. Obviously, freedom as the definition of a man does not depend upon others, but as soon as there is a commitment, I am obliged to will the liberty of others at the same time as my own. I cannot make liberty my aim unless I make that of others equally my aim.” So, there you have it. This is why I write these little essays – my freedoms depend on you and your freedoms, and this must be the reason the wise ones always say “We Are All One”. I need you to be free (or whatever) for me to be free. I need you to be loose, supple, strong – for me to be the same. HA! And you thought Vlad the Astrophysicist went off the deep end! I followed right along…… - David Summerfield I heard this on NPR, January 31st, 2010 on “The Saturday Show On Sunday” with TJ Starr. It’s a recording made by Peter Mulvey called “Vlad The Astrophysicist”. I just thought about it recently, and decided I should “reprint” a former article I submitted to this newsletter almost 5 years ago. It stopped me dead in my tracks, and still does. All of our petty concerns, including whether or not we have “shifted”, or gotten that cherished PR, or achieved the ideal weight, or need a job or a better home or "fulfillment" – “pffftt” – its all ultimately of no lasting importance. (OMG – that sounds nihilistic.) You be the judge. Peter Mulvey narrated this while playing a beautiful guitar instrumental. The astrophysicist is a real person – Vladimir Chaloupka, a professor of physics at the University of Washington (Seattle). They both attended the National Youth Science Camp in West Virginia. If you don’t know of Peter Mulvey (I didn’t) this is his 12th album, and quite captivating. Here’s my transcript (Oh, and by the way, my “pffftt” is the best I can do to imitate Vlad’s sound he made with his mouth and tongue…): (Background sound of being on a jet cruising at high altitude….) “4th of December, 2008 - Over the Eastern Seaboard. Dear Adeline ~ Far below, the long evening light is fleeing the mountains of Nova Scotia. With any luck, I will sleep in the sky tonight and wake in Ireland. This summer, for reasons that are too complicated to go into here, I found myself sitting behind a motel in remote West Virginia with an astrophysicist from the Czech Republic, named Vlad. Vlad and I see each other every few years and we get along famously – probably because I love astrophysics and he loves music, and we love beer. In fact, we had found some beer at a gas station and we were drinking and talking as we sat in the metal chairs there by the river that goes behind the motel, looking up at a huge West Virginia sky full of stars. “Vlad,” I said, “I’ve always wanted to know the answer to this question, and you strike me as the only guy I’m ever going to meet who can give me an answer, so lay it on me pal, are there intelligent civilizations out there, other than us, and if there are, why haven’t they contacted us?” Vlad looked at me over his glasses, “That is two questions. First question is easy to answer – the answer is yes – many. Given the number of stars, the abundance of amino acids everywhere in the universe you look, very possibly many many civilizations have arisen. Now, the second question,‘why have they not contacted us’, that is the real question. And this is difficult to answer but here is my best guess. You must use your imagination.” And he held his hands out at shoulder width and he said, “Imagine the entire universe is only about this big, only the size of a beach ball. I mean, the universe is not spherical, but go with me on this, OK? Now, imagine that all of time (13 ½ billion years from the big bang until now) – imagine that that goes by in, say, 5 minutes. On that scale, consider us: we are an intelligent civilization, yes? We make radio waves, rocket ships, baseball, Great Wall of China, Bach sonatas – clearly an intelligent civilization. The question is – how long do we last? Hmm? Another 5,000 years, 50,000, another 5 million years? It does not matter. On the universal scale that I am asking you to consider, those all look the same, they look like this,” and he held his hand in front of him with thumb and forefinger pressed together and parted them for the barest instant. And as he did so he made a sound through his teeth – “phffftt” – he looked at me to see if I understood. Every human that has ever lived and will ever live, all the history we have made and ever will make – “phffftt” – he paused to let that sink in. It sank in. “So,” he said, “here is the universe.” And again he held his hands out defining the space. “And here are the intelligent civilizations as they arise in the universe.” And he moved his hand here – “phffftt” – then here – “phffftt” – then here – “phffftt”. You see,” he said, “they never meet each other. Time is too long. Space is too large. I mean sure, maybe at one time it happened right next to each other at the same time – ‘phffftt’ – 2 civilizations sprang up and they had war - better yet – they had peace – they had art exchanges - they had an intergalactic library – but they are all dead now too. In all likelihood we are alone, and by the time the next civilization arises, we will have been gone for a long time.” I looked back at the sky still so full of stars. I probably don’t need to tell you that, although they looked exactly the same as they had a couple of minutes ago, they looked completely different. I didn’t say anything for a minute. Then I said, “Vlad, would you like another beer?” “Anyhow, Adeline, the word from your household is this week you began lifting your head up all by yourself, looking around at the faces that hover around your crib, occasionally favoring one of them with a smile. You keep up the good work. - Love, Uncle Peter.” And with that….have a great 2015, but don’t get too hung up on the “small stuff” if you can!!! - David Summerfield |
David Nutter SummerfieldThe following blogs were first published in The Windrinker, a running newsletter published in Bozeman, MT (www.Windrinkers.org). There is a constant attempt at viewing the foibles of long distance runners in a humorous light so we don't take ourselves too seriously. Archives
August 2020
Categories |