What's the hurry?

"Younger Next Year" by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge is a book a friend of mine gave me awhile back. It is based on an interesting premise that actually makes a lot of sense. The idea is that our bodies are created to know when it's time to start winding things down, to make final biological arrangements. The body gets its signals from our activity, or lack thereof. Theoretically this is some leftover genetic baggage from eons ago. So the authors strongly advocate rigorous exercise on a regular basis so that the body understands that you still have a little fight in you. Sounds right to me, so, I started on a fairly rigorous exercise program, actually restarted a rigorous program several weeks ago. Not the kind I usually do, where I get to the point I throw up and then quit, but rigorous nonetheless.

So tonight I was on the last lap when I passed some friends' house. As it turned out they were just coming in from a walk. My friend yelled, "you want some banana pudding?"

"Are you serious?" I asked. I meant was she just being nice. Because when it comes to food, and particularly food like banana pudding, I am serious.

"Sure I'm serious," she said. So we all went in and had banana pudding.

At first I was concerned that I was backing up. It took an hour and ten minutes to burn a few hundred calories, and about five minutes to replace them.

On the other hand, I am hoping my ancient gene structure understood what was going on here. I had run/walked up and down mountains and had tracked down my prey . . .banana pudding. Surely they get the idea that I'm still alive and kicking as a hunter-gatherer.

But that's just the way it is with life, the detours and distractions. And sometimes that frustrates me when my plan is interrupted. I'm on my way to do one thing and all of a sudden something else pops up, takes me down an alternate route, or at least makes me stop for a moment. There are two choices. I can get all anal about accomplishing the thing I set out to do, the three laps for instance, or I can stop and eat banana pudding with friends when it becomes available.

Sometimes I'm afraid I reduce life to a race, an obstacle course to race through, straining for the finish line. But that's crazy.

Cause when you cross the finish line the race is over, and I haven't had my fill of banana pudding.

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