Training for Life: Part 3

I was in my garage a few weeks ago, the door open, moving stuff onto the front porch for a little gathering. We live in a townhouse, and it is long and skinny. We store stuff in the garage and move it to the other side of the house as needed to accommodate guests. Does that make sense? There are a lot of trips back and forth.

So, there I was, when this kid rode up on an electric bike. He’s probably 13 or 14. Wow I thought, I don’t own one of those. I don’t recognize this young man and I’m busy, I'm hustling, we have people coming.

“I’m wondering if you would sponsor me for a fundraiser. I’m cleaning trash cans.”

“Ok pal, what are we raising money for?” I’m thinking Easter Seals or muscular dystrophy or overseas children or something altruistic. A Boy Scout project maybe?

“I want to buy a golf cart.”

I stopped working. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“You mean like the one you push or the one you ride in?”

“One you ride in,” he said with a hint of pride.

“Aren’t you a little young to be riding around in a golf cart? Golf carts are for old men who can’t walk. Pro golfers don’t drive golf carts, they walk.” I was talking like an old man, you know, “Back in my day, blah, blah, blah.” I sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher, I'm sure.

He apparently didn’t care about the optics or repercussions of a jr. high kid driving a golf cart. Particularly for a kid who was already riding around on an electric bike.

Now on the one hand, I must applaud his ambition. Wanting to work to earn money is a noble pursuit. I want to be a part of encouraging initiative in the young.

“How much?” I say and I’m kind of aggravated because I’m busy and he has a mistaken notion about what “fundraising” really means. You know, like how it benefits others? I didn’t have time to properly lecture him on telling the truth!

“Well,” he says unapologetically, “$20 a can.”

“And how much time does it take you to clean the cans?”

“About a half hour.”

“That’s 80 bucks an hour. That’s pretty steep for trash can cleaning.”

“Let me show you some before and after pictures.”

He whips out his phone and shows me pictures. It looks like an infomercial.

By now I can’t believe I’m having this conversation about “fundraising.”

Did I say I was busy? “Alright pal, I 'll give you $25 for both cans.” I am being a little bolder myself.

His expression was priceless. It bordered on being incredulous and insulted. Two very powerful responses from a kid. I thought he was going to show me the pictures again and then promptly take his business elsewhere.

“Can you do 30?”

“25, take it or leave it.”

“Really?”

“Take it or leave it. The trash cans are full right now.”

“I can come back tomorrow night at 6.”

“Ok. You can’t leave a mess in my driveway, pal.”

So, I get home from work on Monday, and there are my two trash cans upside down on my side lawn drying out.

And they are NOT spotless! They smelled better, for sure, antiseptic, but they didn’t look like the pictures he had shown me. I was already mad at myself for helping with “fundraising" and I was pretty tired of renting space in my head to this kid. I had to let it go. But I couldn’t just yet.

I started wondering, had I just been had? Should I have "sponsored" him for the full 40 bucks? Would I have gotten a better cleaning job? And finally, what is this world coming to when a kid wants a golf cart and is willing to “work” for 80 bucks an hour? The trajectory of this kid’s life is impossible to predict, but I bet he never flips a burger at Sonic. Maybe a job in the federal government?

Ease and ever-increasing comfort seem the logical result of his trajectory, and what appears to me to be an increasing threat to his health. Continuous comfort and ease are antithetical to a healthy life.

Again…

Constant comfort and ease do not promote health and wellness.

Folks, if you (and/or your kids) find that you are making lots of decisions that increase your comfort, it is time to reevaluate. Comfort does create adaptations, no doubt, but they are not the ones that increase health and wellness. Too much comfort makes you sick and injured and non-resilient. It separates you from one of the most potent adaptation stimuli we can harness. That stimulus is known as stress. (I am currently writing a fuller explanation of healthy stress, look forward to it!)

Don’t get me wrong, I still love my air conditioner and hot showers and my Dodge Nitro. They do make life nicer and more comfortable. But how much is too much and when does it become a liability? I, and you, must seek out ways to be uncomfortable. Not all the time, but often and intentionally.

Let’s quit seeking more comfort. It seems to find us easily enough.

Let’s walk when we can. Just like the pros.

I’ll leave you with a quote:

“Plenty of growth can be found in removing your vices, but the real leaps are unlocked when you stop clinging to your comforts.” James Clear

Cheers,
Dr. Swaim

Extra Credit discomfort assignment:
Leave your phone at home and navigate the outside world without constant interruptions. “But you don’t understand I have to be available…” I do understand and do it anyway! It’s good for you!

Cheers again!

Image by paulbr75 from Pixabay