Roadworn

I was tired of being in the truck. Even the sounds became exhausting. The grind of the diesel engine, the big tires on the road, and the wind constantly beating against the side of the truck. I could not hear myself think.

We’d run out of conversation and we were exhausted. The kind of tired where you hope a big enough yawn will wake you up. The kind of tired where you wake up, not realizing you’d fallen asleep. Maybe if I do a few of those big eye widening blinks, or perhaps a few slaps on the cheeks. Nothing seemed to help. Suddenly, there was a loud sound on the passenger’s side. I rolled down the window and popped my head out to inspect. The air was freezing. It was almost refreshing until I felt something terrible.

My glasses slid down my face and were whisked away into the draft of the truck. I hadn’t even thought about the fact that I was wearing glasses and stuck my head out the window on the highway. First was panic, but I quickly acknowledged that they were replaceable. Next was frustration, because I remembered I can't drive without them. The drive was too long, we had to take turns at the wheel. I wouldn't be able to carry my load. I felt sick to my stomach. We slowed down for the next rest stop and I heard clicking under my seat. I was in luck. The wind had blown my glasses off my face and back into the window behind my seat.

Everything turned out just fine, but my exhaustion led to very poor decisions. To keep pushing when my body said otherwise. I almost made things worse instead of taking the time to rest and recover.

Am I listening to the needs of my body? Am I getting the proper rest? Am I holding some in reserve so I can continue to be useful to myself and others?

Be curious, be kind, be whole, do good things.