The Longest Mile: January Edition

January always puts me in a reflective headspace. I find myself paying closer attention to what I am reading, what I am seeing, and what I am questioning. This month in particular, a few things stay with me and refuse to let go. Our post about testicular cancer. Our trip to Chicago. And a growing discomfort with how far modern life has drifted from what feels natural.

At first glance, these things seem unrelated. But for me, they connect more clearly the longer I sit with them.

I want to share how these threads come together and why they continue to shape how I think about health, risk, and what we are building at Mellow Mile.

Earlier this month, we shared a post about testicular cancer. It is the most common cancer among young men. That fact alone should make us pause. The exact causes are still not fully understood, but rates continue to rise, and research increasingly points toward modern environmental exposures and lifestyle habits as contributors to long term reproductive health.

Too often, the response to trends like this is to say we need more data. That the science is not settled. That we should wait.

History tells us that waiting for perfect certainty is usually waiting too long. Lead. Cigarettes. Asbestos. Endocrine disrupting chemicals. In every case, early warnings existed long before consensus arrived. People lived their lives believing things were safe until hindsight proved otherwise.

I do not want to live my life assuming everything is harmless until it is definitively labeled dangerous. I would rather live with intention than unknowingly volunteer to be part of the experiment.

Around the same time, I found myself having to go to Chicago for my W2 job. Meetings, schedules, obligations. Nothing glamorous. But in between, I took advantage of being in the city and stopped into the textiles exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago.

That decision ends up grounding everything I have been thinking about.

I walk through collections of historic textiles and stand in front of fragments of garments that are hundreds and sometimes over a thousand years old. Cotton. Silk. Linen. Natural dyes. Intricate weaves. Thoughtful blends.

These pieces are not relics of primitive design. They are evidence of sophistication. They are made with care, with intention, and with a deep understanding of the human body. They are designed to be worn on skin for long periods of time. They work with the body, not against it.

Standing there, it becomes impossible to ignore how recent our obsession with synthetic fabrics really is. Polyester. Nylon. Acrylic. These materials are petroleum based plastics. They dominate modern clothing, especially athletic wear and underwear, and they sit against our skin all day, every day. This is a relatively new experiment in human history.

At the same time, I am reading more about microplastics, about synthetic fibers shedding, about heat and friction increasing exposure, and about researchers trying to understand what decades of constant contact actually mean for the human body.

A recent Wall Street Journal article explores the relationship between men’s underwear, synthetic fabrics, microplastics, and fertility. It is careful in its conclusions. It does not say synthetics are killing you. It does not say polyester causes cancer. It does not claim one product will ruin your health.

What it does say is that researchers are finding materials where they should not be. That long term exposure matters. And that we are only beginning to understand the cumulative effects.

That is the part that matters most to me. Cumulative exposure. Over years. Over decades.

This same pattern shows up beyond clothing. The last image I shared this month highlights widespread recalls caused by contamination in heavily processed foods. Rodents. Birds. Supply chain failures. Products pulled and destroyed. We are told to discard them and move on without asking many questions.

Whether it is food or clothing, the story is consistent. The more processed something becomes, the further it moves away from human health being the priority.

That is why a whole foods diet matters. That is why cooking simply matters. And that is why wearing simpler, more natural materials matters too.

This mindset is exactly why we built Mellow Mile the way we did. Organic cotton boxers. Regenerative bamboo shirts. Minimal stretch where needed. Fewer chemical treatments. Fewer unknowns.

I am not claiming answers. I am not claiming certainty. I am choosing not to wait until hindsight tells us what we should have done earlier.

Thanks for being here.
Thomas