I have always been intrigued by athletes who claim to continually be giving “a hundred and ten percent.” When sports are your priority and you’ve suffered repeated hits to the head over the years, it’s probably no surprise that math is not your strong point.

I am not an athlete. I understand that sometimes we perform above expectations. (This is sometimes evidenced by politicians during election campaigns, but rarely by politicians after they are elected.) This can usually be explained by luck. Or maybe coffee or an usually good night’s sleep or something that put us in a good mood. But it can’t be sustained.

I thought of this recently when someone asked me how I was doing. I did not say a hundred and ten percent. Sports analogies are not appropriate for someone whose “best before” date was passed some time ago.

Instead, I reached for a technological metaphor. As batteries age, they tend to slowly lose their ability to recharge. No hundred and ten percent for them. After a while, about the best they can achieve when “fully charged” is eighty percent.

So, when I was asked how I was doing, I gave it some thought. I was not sick. I was relatively well rested. I wasn’t feeling particularly stressed about anything. I was at church after a particularly encouraging service, surrounded by people who love me.

“A hundred and ten percent,” I answered, “of eighty percent.” That answer was confusing, but my questioner let it go. After all, what can you expect from somebody who has passed his “best before” date?

A hundred and ten percent of eighty percent is eighty-eight percent, by the way. Unlike athletes, I am good at math.