Wanna get High?

Just because I am not visibly overweight does not mean I don’t have a weight problem.

For some reason, my fitness inspires resentment more often than emulation. Some people ask me how I do it and then keep interrupting to tell me how it won’t work for them.

“It’s easy for you to talk. You don’t have to worry about it.”

Au contraire. I worry about it all the time. That’s why it doesn’t get out of control. Call it discipline if you will. I call it laziness. If I want to have a body to use, I have to keep it in good shape. Nature is all too happy to kill us off and let some other creature consume our substance.
Do it or don’t do it. It’s your damn body.

You do not have to be fit. Yes, obesity leads to a variety of health problems. But everybody dies of something. Enjoy yourself while you live. Make sure what you enjoy does not destroy the enjoyment of anyone else. If that means you are a little chubby or even out and out fat, and you don’t mind being that way, be that way. I honestly don’t think less of you for it, although I get accused of it. And we probably won’t spend a lot of time together, because my interests carry me in other directions.

We tend to try to share what gets us high. That was true of me in every phase of life, with every buzz. It’s still true now, with the self-propelled exploration. But I know that we don’t all enjoy the same things.

Buzzes end. The happy drunk ends with the hangover. The pot high ends up with the bong-lung cough. Other drugs carry even worse side effects. But we try to get high because, let’s face it, life can be pretty depressing. It’s hard not to peek at the end.

Because you can’t stay high all the time, whether you get high on chemicals, food or experiences, spiritual or mental resources help you get through the down times. Or maybe you just concentrate on getting hold of some more of what gets you high. Somehow you have to keep yourself interested in living.

A rhythm of exertion and rest offers a cycle of effort and renewal that adds up to a balanced whole. In that way it is superior to highs that depend solely on substance intake.

C’mon, man, let’s do some.