MAYBE I NEED MORE VITAMIN D
I’ll say this without making excuses: I’m not the handyman type. I’m not “outdoorsy.” I like quiet indoor venues. I like my office.
When my wife and I moved, the non-conforming bedroom in the basement (called so because it had no windows) became my office. It was large enough to hold nearly three quarters of our books, a space to workout, as well as contain my desk, printer table, and file cabinet. I don’t shut the door, unless I’m recording a podcast episode, and freely welcome my wife and the cats as they please. Since my back is not to the door but to the side, I’m rarely shocked or surprised.
I’m not a complete homebody. I DO get out of the house. My wife and I enjoy walks in the neighborhood or local parks. And I’m mowing the yard or mulching the leaves for a solid seven to eight months out of the year.
Truth be told, I’m not all that interested in changing much. It’s taken me 60+ years to get to be who I am. My health is good, I exercise five days a week, I pay close attention to my diet, and I do not have a Vitamin D deficiency. When it comes right down to it, you may suffer a decline regardless of your lifestyle simple because you’re getting old.
The thing that is most important for me is doing whatever it takes to keep my wits about me. Reading, whether a book, an essay, or a recipe, fills the mind with the tools to keep it working. The research I do for historical crime fiction novels allows me to analyze aspects of human life from nearly eighty years ago, or more, and find a degree of comprehension.
If my BMI were 24 and my body fat percentage were under 20% but I had no capacity for logical reasoning nor any creative spark, my life would be empty. I’m certainly not advocating going toward the other end of the spectrum and indulging as a raging alcoholic like so many great writers of the early 20th century. There is a balance to be had between mind and body that has nothing to do with Descartes.
My hope is to maintain myself physically to be able to enjoy a long life filled with writing and baking bread and making sausages. In essence, all the joys of creativity which is what makes me who I am.
