I’m a naturally nocturnal creature. In the South, avoiding the sun is an understandable trait. In Seattle, it’s not even a challenge. I can go weeks without seeing direct sunlight if I want. Naturally, this led to a clinical deficiency of Vitamin D after my first winter. Every day felt like running through water and I lost the ability to do more than sleep during my time off. Fighting depression is hard enough without the added struggle to sit upright. In my defense, I took supplements for months to no effect. January, I gained a key piece to the puzzle. Vitamin D is only absorbed when taken with a meal. The opposite of what I do when taking pills in the morning. Oops.

A little prodding from a doctor got me on the internet reading about how to get enough D in my life. Direct sunlight is best and I know that. That isn’t reason enough to start sunbathing given my history of skin cancer and propensity to burn in general. Fortified foods is another discovery I made. Milk is out because of my lifestyle and lactose but I now drink D-filled OJ often. Adding a meal to my pills is the only real challenge I’ve faced. For months I’ve looked for a way to eat some fat with my D. Most of the food I eat isn’t that heavy. Cream cheese on a bagel or a handful of cookies are my only real guilty pleasures. Eating a handful of cookies per day would be nice if it didn’t have such a large impact on my bottom line. And thigh line, and stomach line.

The solution I’ve found recently is obvious. I take way too much Vitamin D. There’s a risk of overdosing if I’m too overzealous so there’s a bit of math involved. Taking about 200% of a daily value via various sources, I can expect to absorb at least 50% and maybe get a full dose on a good day. The side effects for an OD aren’t fatal, just some discomfort for a few days. I’ll risk that for the chance to have energy again. Not just the energy that gets me out having fun, I want the energy to wake up after 7 hours of solid sleep. I want the verve that excites me to do yoga and the wonder compelling me to walk downtown. I miss the spark driving my interest in new places and my ability to play computer games for hours. It’s all about that D.