It’s interesting to consider the age/phase of life angle. I’m 54, and I recall seeing a graph some years ago about self-reported quality of life, which hits a nadir in the early to mid 50’s before creeping back up. There’s probably something to the “sandwich generation” phenomenon, which is to say feeling squeezed by the needs of kids transitioning to adulthood on the one hand, and aging parents on the other.
It’s also true that I just don’t have the physical resilience that I used to — my job requires long hours, with occasional overnight work. It takes me a while to bounce back from a bad weekend of being on call. It makes it harder to muster the activation energy to get on my bike and go for a ride, but I almost always feel better when I do. So no magic elixir to rebottle the enthusiasm and vigor I used to have, maybe just a resigned yet optimistic acceptance of what this new phase of life has to offer. I very likely am veering well off-topic with these sorts of musings, but thanks for the replies and reassurance that I’m not alone in the struggle. Jay Lonner Bellingham, WA Sent from my Atari 400 > On Sep 7, 2022, at 4:10 PM, 'Scott Luly' via RBW Owners Bunch > <rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com> wrote: > > Jay: > > I must say I found comfort in you sharing your state of doldrums. It's > comforting knowing I'm not alone. I'm 53 and have been in same state for a > few years now. It's unsettling. I have to really push to scare-up desire and > passion towards hobbies/adventures that used to be abundant and readily > available. I develop levels of self-frustration because I'm largely a > content, happy person. That is to say, I have much to be thankful for and > don't struggle to make ends meet. Before this spell I always found joy in the > contagious nature of my enthusiasm towards my recreational activities. Where > it went exactly, I don't know. Simply said, I'm not a depressive person, so > it's not that. I'm a productive person. It's just that I've noticed I have > more of a "chore" view towards considering new adventures. I look back at the > level of effort and enthusiasm I used to put forth into planning, prepping > for, and successfully completing adventures and it tires me out. > > For me, I think it's a phase in life thing: kids moving on to start their own > lives, career, monotony, etc. > Again, I've had a great life: much to be grateful and thankful for. I > resigned from a long-held position 4 months ago and have been intentionally > unemployed since, taking some time to refocus. I find the enthusiasm and > passion cups gradually refilling. > > Anyways, I don't want to ramble on. But I felt compelled to reply. You're not > alone. It's a life philosophy tour. For me it's a lot about the unsettled > phase in life I find myself in and locating the desire/courage to MAKE change > in the interest of destroying monotony. > > I never regret partaking in my hobbies: gravel rides, dirt biking, wing > shooting. I just get frustrated being the impediment to doing same. > > Over the past few months, I get the feeling it's beginning pass, which is > welcome. > > Best of luck my friend! Everyone has to deeply consider their own sources and > solutions. Force yourself to do what you KNOW you love. Recognition is a > great start! I'm getting better at conquering myself. > > Best, > > Scott in Montana > > On Tuesday, September 6, 2022 at 11:52:57 AM MDT, Jay Lonner > <jay.lon...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > Over the years my cycling has increasingly tended toward commuting/utility. > Bike-centered vacations/tours remain on the menu, and are still very > enjoyable to me, but the day-in, day-out feels like a chore. Part of this is > seasonal — I have an easier time dealing with cool, wet conditions than hot, > sticky weather. So maybe this problem will solve itself with the autumn rains > imminent. But I’m wondering whether others ever get a case of cycling > burnout, and maybe have some tips to work through it. > > Jay Lonner > Bellingham, WA > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/77d0469b-5dc1-4647-97b0-624f3018916dn%40googlegroups.com. > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/320985703.31349.1662501587821%40mail.yahoo.com. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/623ED3EE-2364-45F9-9CF7-9AD1D207382E%40gmail.com.
