Written July 22, 2025
Hello, Dear Readers,
I don’t know if it’s the sweltering summer sun or if I’m just hitting a wall, but lately, I’ve felt like I’ve got nothing left in the tank. After a tiring mowing session—where I had to fuel up with cantaloupe instead of my usual pastry-bites—I found myself too zapped to follow through with my weekly pushups. So, in a bold act of self-compassion, I struck a deal with myself: “No pushups before breakfast. We’ll do them before supper instead.”
Summer in Nashville is a true test of endurance. Between two days a week of working outside (and yes, still doing battle with that steep backyard), it feels like my energy reserves are running on fumes. Thankfully, this year’s summer hasn’t yet thrown us into a brutal 100°F heatwave, though I won’t lie: the humidity here still knows how to knock you out.
Despite the sluggishness, I try to push through. The last time I attempted this, though, my wife was not thrilled. I had a gout flare-up, but did I take it easy? Of course not. I kept mowing and marching around like nothing was wrong. I didn’t tell her about the gout—partly because I didn’t want to worry her and partly because, well, I didn’t want to admit my body was starting to rebel. It’s a tough pill to swallow, realizing that I need rest when I’d rather keep pushing forward like the good old days.
But, here’s the twist: my wife insists I’ve got more stamina and energy than before. Go figure. She’s always been the outdoor adventurer—hiking, canoeing, camping, you name it—while I’m the homebody, cozy with my books, video games, and board games. She enjoys the outdoors but doesn’t really do the whole “movie-watching” thing unless there’s a notepad and pen involved. No judgment there; we all have our quirks.
The truth is, I’ve got more energy than I did before—but it still doesn’t last as long as I’d like. One culprit? My diet (or lack thereof). My protein intake is a bit on the low side, and I’ve noticed that my muscles just don’t bounce back the way they used to. So, I’ve had to learn how to negotiate with my body—compromise when I need to and push myself only when it’s truly necessary.
One trick that’s working for me is setting specific times to make up for missed tasks. As long as I know I’ve scheduled something for later, I’m far more likely to follow through than if I just say, “I’ll do it later” and leave it at that.
Take today, for example. I managed to knock out my pushups before dinner, even though I had postponed them earlier. My wife’s concern about my health is valid, especially after the last gout episode and the fact that my lab results weren’t as stellar as we hoped. So, yeah, I need to be smarter about listening to my body, knowing when to rest and when to power through—without ignoring those signals.
Negotiating with myself is key. If I’m wiped out, I rest. If I think I might regain my energy by the end of the day, I’ll save the pushups for later. The important part is making sure I follow through. If I tell myself, “I’ll do it later,” I’ve got to remember to actually do it later—not let it slip off the radar.