Sleepless on Manitoulin…

Here it is the middle of the night and I can’t sleep. Too many plans, too many projects, too many memories of the past 35 years on the road… and some from earlier than that.

A bit of advice to all who are about to retire… You know all those things that you always said you would do after you’ve packed it all in? Well don’t try to start doing them all at the same time! Pace yourself, indulge yourself for a few weeks with some complete relaxation, reflecting, contemplation and planning of your next move. Then (and only then) start just one of those projects and work up to the rest as time permits later on. Try the one out, get comfortable with it, play with it and have some fun. After all, you’ve earned it and deserve it, right?

Am I doing it this way? Of course not, I’m too accustomed to running 14 things at the same time in the stores while trying to coordinate 10 or 20 staff members to do the same. My wife always said that I have an addiction to adrenaline and I think maybe she’s right. I’m truly the happiest when I’m actually trying to get every single one of those 14+ things done by the end of the day, but I’m realizing now that is has taken its toll over the years. I won’t get into any medical problems (real or imaginary) in this blog but I’ll just say that you have no idea how much of a downer it is when that type of demand is suddenly taken away from you. It used to hit me as soon as I stepped on a plane when leaving a community and I would just collapse in my seat in a state of complete exhaustion and fatigue. The thing is though… that rush would always start up again in a few days or a few weeks and I’d be back to my old overdrive self who thought this was normal and that I was feeling great. Guess what… now there is no new trip coming up in a few days and I’m having withdrawal symptoms from my 35 year addiction.

My hopes for a cure? Daily updating of all my web sites, taking on new duties for a couple of them, adding a new one or two, trying to contact and get to sign up on Facebook everyone that I've ever met in past 50+ years, setting up a table at a weekly flea market, setting up and conducting a meeting with over 500 people to pitch Watkins as a fundraising idea (that's going to have the adrenaline pumping), searching daily for new and prospective associates all over the continent, hoping to update this blog every day and renewing some past acquaintances. Hmmm… that’s not 14 projects, guess I have to try harder. Autumn of my life indeed... I think I many need HELP!