I had a lot of fun riding, maybe I should say, shredding some singletrack while I had the borrowed Gary Fisher HIFI at my disposal (thanks Randy!). It had been 15 years since I rode singletrack like that and it was all done on fully rigid bikes back then. Yes, in case you are wondering the garage now has an empty space waiting for my new mountain bike. I am still unsure of what I will purchase, but the full suspension bike was a lot of fun. Having fun on the bike is my main motivation too. I still am paying off my XC bike, so it’s going to take some time.
I may be a little vain, but man I look pretty good in this image shot by my friend John Decker.
I was feeling great. Little did I know my spleen could burst. What? So yeah, I got a call from the Doctor. He said there wouldn’t be a call unless something was up. They called that same day. I didn’t know that because our home phone is a little cell phone that Melissa talks on sometimes and it was hiding under the couch. Not knowing about the phone call was OK though. I went for a nice 50 mile bike ride through the Flint Hills last Sunday. I actually felt great. No cramps at all. A great ride.
When I finally found out the doctor had called, it was Sunday. Hmm, I wondered what they wanted since they weren’t supposed to call unless something was amiss. I wasn’t too worried. Probably some paperwork issue or something like that.
I was busy at work Monday and the Doctor’s office left a message to call them. Alright already.
If I go to the doctor something must be up. I don’t like going to the doctor. But sometimes you just know things aren’t right. This could not still be the DK200 affecting me right? That has been three months ago and I haven’t been able to ride 100 mile ride since. I cramp over 40 miles pretty much every time. Plus I have been tired to the point of falling asleep with the mouse in my hand mid button click. On top of that I have been having trouble focusing on things I need to be working on. Not a good time for that. I was having trouble even writing blog posts well and planning for Adventure Monkey things. That’s when I knew I needed a check up to make sure something wasn’t up. Well something was up.
I called the doctor’s office back and got the nurse.
“So what’s up?” I asked her.
“Well, you tested positive for mono,” she replied.
“Great.”
“How long have you been feeling like this?” she asked.
“Months,” I said
“You need to quit doing any jarring activities,” she said.
“You mean like the 50 mile bike ride through the Flint Hills I did yesterday?” I asked.
“Yeah, you can’t do that.”
“That’s going to be a problem,” I said. “I ride every weekend and then some, plus I have the MS ride coming up.” (donate HERE)
“You need to get some rest,” she said.
So that’s what’s up. I have mononucleosis. I don’t accept things easy, so I did some research. You see, as a high schooler I had mono. It’s a virus and if you’ve had it you can’t get it again. It goes dormant and stays in your body and it can become active again, although rare. Things like stress can weaken the immune system and these dormant viruses can take a hold again. Great, then I found information on chronic mono. Some people never completely fight it and it and they end up having chronic fatigue. I cannot accept that. There’s no “cure” for this virus. I just need to fight it. Hmm, how am I supposed to do that?
The Dirty Kanza was something I could physically train for and literally fight the day of the race. But a microscopic virus is a bit different. The one thing I found that I keep stumbling upon is a major diet change and eating more natural foods and foods that boost the immune system. I found an interesting reference from a holistic doctor that fought and beat her chronic mono battle HERE. Of course she wants me to pay for her book, but it may be worth it. You see, after giving this some thought and talking with my dear momma about it, I have complained of tiredness for years. Seems like I have always been tired. Hmm.
The other thing I see is that I am an all or nothing kind of guy too. That comes to stress too. I am either stressed and want to change things immediately or I am fine. No in between for me. So why am I stressed?
I may have posted something about not hating my job once, but these days I have no other words than I do really HATE my job. My job isn’t stressful, the circumstances are. I am a graphic artist in charge of producing media (posters, pamphlets, videos, etc) for the company. Usually it’s an emergency that I produce it quick, but in reality all the media I produce is meaningless. People won’t be more safe, more involved, more trustworthy, more aligned or better employees in any way because of a new poster or video from the CEO. The very thought of posters or other media making changes is completely asinine and so are the people behind it. Now a CEO that models great behavior and is passionate about the company and his employees will make a difference.
I admit, I am a little sensitive. If I don’t feel like I am making a contribution to society in some way, I get extremely bored, then I begin to feel trapped, then stressed. Even while I am typing this, I can physically feel my chest cavity tightening up with anxious stress of hating that place. Good money and benefits are great. But that is not what my life is for. That’s not what I live for. That’s just all there is to it. No excuses or explanations needed. I was made for something more. I just need to accept it AND DO SOMETHING about it! Therein is where my stress occurs. Adventure Monkey is on the verge of something great and the work situation is getting worse and worse or I should say, Dumber and Dumber, and not in the funny Jim Carrey way either. Stupid, meaningless media with an emergency deadlines. Like oh no, somebody tripped in the parking lot, we better make a poster and video. Anyway…
If it is physically affecting your health, if you drive into work and feel a tightening in your chest, a pain in your gut, if you constantly roll your eyes after every comment in every worthless meeting, if you’d rather spend time in the restroom (that’s desperate) then it is time to leave. We are made for a purpose. Sometimes it’s hard to find, sometimes it’s easy. It has taken me a long time and I believe Adventure Monkey is my purpose right now. It is a vehicle I can use to inspire people to do great things with their lives instead of settling for the circumstances of many poor decisions. It is a new age. It is time to think out of the box.
I’ll beat this mono thing. And I’ll stop my activities and get off my bike when I am dead. I am not into wasting time.
That said, let’s enjoy the scenery and if you haven’t done so, REGISTER for the tour using THIS FORM and don’t forget to vote on your favorite shirt HERE.
Feed Your Monkey!
Eric
This is the same "Lone Tree" from a winter image that appeared on this site, but here it is in the summer,
allthough the skateboard monkey comes in second
Feed Your Monkey!
I have been riding with Shawn and John for years. There’s nothing like riding with old friends, or new friends for that matter. I am itching for a multi-day bike tour. I need to get some ultralight gear. I hope I can do something like that, maybe even this year if all the stars and planets align just right…
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