Burning the Candle at Both Ends.

Today I write about today.

For the last six years, I have worked random shifts. Midnight, 2am, 4am, 16 hours, 8 hours, 10 hours, double shifts and even triples. I truly believe the cliché - “In order to make some changes in your life you need to change something.”

We all know the definition of insanity - Naw, not gonna’ do it.

Yeah, I know what ya mean Captain Obvious.

The last year I have been working hard to break away, left construction and got back behind the wheel of the big rig. Sell the book, get the web site rocking and change will come.

Today my feet hit the floor at 1:30am, coffee, make the lunch, and hit the road. Warm the rig up, update and detail the log. Select the CD, release the brakes and rolled out of the yard, no different from any other day. Yawns, rub the eyes, cruise control set, I am rolling.

I do most of my writing in my brain while I drive “the big rig,” today was no different. Got a couple projects under way, content for a friend, my own blog needs attention and I need to re-write the last chapter of my book. Same, same.

Didn’t really feel tired, truth was not in sync with my perception. In a blink of an eye, my heart leaped to my throat. I shook my head as to snap out of a dream and my rig was crossing two lanes heading for the median. My reaction was precise and the correction avoided a clear opportunity to meet my maker. In an instant, I had blacked out. I got off the highway, parked the truck thanked the good Lord for waking me and I went to sleep.

At that moment, my schedule, deliver time, story lines, blogs and everything related to that did not matter. I had an opportunity to survive the day. I took that opportunity and took to rest.

I leave cushion in my schedule, it didn’t matter, nothing we do is worth the risk of losing it all.

I caught a lotta crap the rest of the day, dispatcher made it clear, “not allowed to be tired, need to take care of such on my time,” and I needed to get my load where it needed to be. Later, the day included a tire blowing out on the trailer, nearly 12 hours burned since the beginning of the day, and I wasn’t heading home yet.

Where ya going with this Dave?

Burning the Candle at Both Ends, don’t underestimate or ignore the body’s ability to say, time to rest. 

In the pursuit of success, we need to take time to breath and rest.

I took to my day like any other. Wrapped up in thoughts for the next set of tweets, Blogs, emails, deadlines, writers block, consumed by consumption. Get the day job done then get to the business.

Don’t take the day for granted, throw a hug to you partner, maybe even a kiss and a pat on the tush. Kiss the kids, too old for that? Then just let them know you are thinking of them.

Don’t lose touch with living.

Thanks for hanging with me today.

DMK