Running on empty

Hi. My Name is Jim, and I am a Low-T.

Low testosterone is defined as less than 300 nanograms per deciliter of blood. The symptoms of low testosterone include low sex drive, erectile dysfunction, mood problems, fatigue, and sleep disturbances. Of all men with below-normal testosterone levels, about one-half to two-thirds report symptoms. ~ Low Testosterone Explained: How Do You Know When Levels Are Too Low?

 The effects of testosterone decline came calling and took up residence some three or four years ago, best I recall. "Well, shit," I remarked to Self and to Self only, because real men don't talk about this shit to anyone else, right? "More of the Joys of Aging!"

I recently posted on Facebook "Getting older isn't a sin; becoming lazier is." That's pretty much what Low-T feels like to me, personally--slowly, inexorably sinking deeper and deeper into slothful laziness. The desire to do remains strong, but the get-up-and-get-to-it stays down for a terminal nap! The energy just flat ain't there, so in the words of Jackson Browne, it's like running on empty.

The knee-jerk response to Low-T is like so many other medical/health/physical issues, namely, "There's a shot (or a pill or a patch) for that!" Just motor down to your local Low-T drive-through and get the tank topped off. Turns out that's about a hundred dollars a pop with the need to be popped every couple of weeks. A hundred bucks, maybe once, I could save up for just to feel "normal" again. But $200 to $300 a month for life without medical insurance (assuming medical would cover it) is out of the question. We simply do not have sufficient income to cover the cost.

So it remains how to carry on, doing what needs to get done both at home and in the shop feeling chronically tired all the do-dah day?

*****

Speaking of running to empty... Yesterday was the perfect day to mow for the last time this season and put the old John Deere down for a winter nap. Wasn't much to mow; mostly the backyard and perhaps a light trim to knock down the henbit in front. Surely what little gas there was in the tank would be sufficient to keep the neighbors' gripes to a minimum and empty the tank, too.

Got the backyard decent and the mower was still roaring. Took a sweet tea moment, topped off the bird feeding stations, gazed at a cloud or two and the mower engine is still roaring. Heaved a heavy sigh and pushed the mower to the front yard. I figured the machine would give up the gas before I could cover the entire front, and yet that damn motor kept right on roaring! I was at the point of eyeing the neighbor's WAY overgrown front lawn (the house is empty now) when the machine mercifully sucked down the last drop.

Thank you, Jesus!