Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Struggling with Exhaustion

In my working life, I've always been a hard worker.  Work is what I lived for.  When I had my own computer business, I'd sometimes awake early and go into work at 3 AM and work until 6 PM.  You can get things done when the phones aren't ringing.

I'm getting older, I know.  I'll be turning 65 in a few months.  That's old enough to get me a senior discount anywhere.  But I can't blame it on that.

Two years ago, my neck was broken by a falling tree.  I spent a few days in a hospital and then had to wear a neck brace, keeping me from working.  One year ago, I had an operation to fuse a bunch of disks in my neck, also putting me out of commission.  That's two years lost, and two years of not doing much of anything.

Before breaking my neck, I'd usually get to our property around 9 AM to start working.  I didn't work too hard, but I'd fling rocks into Bessie the Tractor's manure bucket and dump them and then build rock walls, things like that.  I'd take a lunch break around noon, and then continue until 3 or 4.

Now, I can't imagine that.  I struggle to get out of bed by 8.  I'm lucky to get to our property by 11.  I work until 3 at the latest, which I did a couple of days ago building the shed.  Yesterday, I couldn't move.  I was completely exhausted.

Is this a factor of getting older?  Of being inactive for two years?  A combination of both?  I'm not sure, but I have to keep going.  I have much to get done and not much time to do it.  The run-in shed, then an outhouse and a pump house for the well, and then next year the barn.  I need to whip up into shape.

Getting your neck broken and being an old man ain't for sissies.   Hmmm.... maybe I'm a sissy?

No comments:

Post a Comment