October is definitely the weather transition month on the High Plains. It was in the 40s this morning as I sipped a fragrant cup of coffee and checked the weather app to see the direction and speed of the breeze – single digits, and shifting from NW to NE.
It’s been five days since the last ride, and I really wanted to go. Well, at least part of me wanted to go. Another part of me saw the temperature and the breeze and spent several minutes attempting to talk me out of it. “The sun’s not even up yet. It’s pretty cold. Maybe another cup of coffee would be good – kick back in the Barcalounger and wait for it to warm up a little.”
“He who fears he shall suffer, already suffers what he fears.” ~ Michel de Montaigne
I smiled as my inner sloth realized he had lost this battle and quieted down while I planned a route to take advantage of the directional change of the wind. Vickie was making breakfast tacos before heading to the gym and asked if I wanted some too. More smiles, fully fueled before getting underway. I gathered my gear while she created breakfast.
As I headed for the gravel at the edge of town, I started thinking about my inner sloth. That voice in my head that almost always votes for taking the easy route. It’s a paradox; for decades, people have been encouraged to be more physically active, yet statistics show that despite good intentions, we are becoming less active.
Conserving energy was crucial for humans’ survival during the hunter/gatherer era, as it helped with finding food and shelter, competing for mates, and avoiding saber-tooth tigers. Clearly, evolution has wired my brain to favor relaxing in the Barcalounger. However, Roman Catholic theology lists it as one of the seven deadly sins.
Another paradox to ponder. An unavoidable evolutionary predisposition or a deadly sin, hmm? The predisposition towards slothfulness isn’t going away anytime soon. The Greek Stoics recognized it even before the Roman Catholics, and I still wrestle with it every day. I expect my inner sloth to show up every time I prepare to do hard stuff.
“Life is a preparation for the future, and the best preparation for the future is to live as if there were none.” ~ Albert Einstein
The thing is, Mr. Sloth even shows up when it’s time to brush my teeth before bed, and that’s not even hard. “You can just brush them in the morning. It’s not like you had a bunch of sugar. You just brushed them in the shower a couple of hours ago.” He’s got the lingo down too, like a used car salesman; he keeps coming at me, attempting to wear me down.
If I had stayed home this morning and had a second cup of coffee, I might have fallen into his clutches and missed a beautiful sunrise, the big cerulean blue sky, and the sweet song of the Meadowlark. I have learned that my inner sloth is a relic, lost in time; another mind monkey offering advice, and like friends and family, he means well, but I’m not looking for the easy way; oftentimes, the hard way is the right way.
