Take charge of your power

Does your brain never stop churning? Your body never stop moving? Your heart never stop beating? 

Actually the heart part is a good thing. But the brain and the body? We need to give them a break! 

Perpetual motion in a human is exhausting. And last I checked, it’s impossible even in machines. I’m no physicist, but the laws of thermodynamics say that energy is needed for movement. And that inevitably, the wind or the sun or the tides will take a break. 

If nature can ebb and flow, why can’t we? 

I’m thinking about this because the marine battery inside my camper van is lifeless again. Ideally, the solar panels on top of the van capture energy from Denver’s 300 days of sunshine. And the car battery sends power when the engine is running. 

And yet, I’m dead inside. 

With no twinkle lights, and no way to run the tiny fridge or play music, it’s dark and I’m hungry. Though I can surely get by, I need to keep that $350 battery working. When I’m out on the road alone, I definitely need my power. And wasting anything is dumb.

Enter the trickle charger. A big idea for you and for me.

A trickle charger maintains the perfect balance of power. It puts energy in at the same rate it’s draining out. The slow process takes more patience than a turbo charge, but it’s better in the long run for battery health.

That’s genius! And I bet it works for humans too. 

Sure, it’s tempting to pay other people to balance our chakras. Poke us with needles. Cover us in crystals. Tend to our yin and our yang. But money is another precious resource, and these days I’m not inclined to spend it on something I can do myself. 

So here’s a way we might take charge. Keep our engines running. Guard against going broke or blowing a gasket. 

Capture. We don’t need to consume 30,000 calories a day like the fat bears do before winter, but we have to feed our bank. Whether we do it through volunteering or working for pay, bathing in a forest or sitting alone in the dark, we have to gather and store what we need for the future.

Conserve. Marathon runners save energy for the last six miles. For after they hit the wall. Covid taught us we can live and love on very little. But now that we’re out in the world again, I wonder which of our frugal habits are healthy. I hope some of them will stick. 

Enjoy. Sometimes this is the hardest part. Burn a zillion calories on a long hike. Sleep badly in someone else’s bed. Buy the fancy puppy and the new pair of shoes. Our resources may not be infinite, but we deserve to delight in what we have. And it’s an honor to share.

Hyper attention to any kind of budget can make us miserly. Vacation days. Money. Calories. Love. 

Especially as we age, we need to be mindful of our energy stores. But life on a trickle charge is sustainable.

For us and for the planet.