Today’s article was brought to you by the generous folks over at Hides.com. Go check out their great line of “Multifunction Eyewear Necessities”, and tell them FloridaHillbilly sent you!

Wow, am I TIRED! Burning the candle at both ends will do that to you. I fell asleep last night without even starting today’s article. I had some idea what I was going to write, but I was completely out of gas. For a lazy guy, I sure am busy!

I’ve finally learned that only I can control how I spend my time. And while I may not use it wisely, I use it up. At least I now enjoy it more than I used to.

I used to work a corporate job in the IT field, putting in 50+ hours a week at the office. I eventually found that, for me at least, corporate jobs slowly eat your soul away. I suffered from stomach problems, migraines, and a chronic unhappiness. I had to get out of that world, and with the support of friends and a great wife( there she is again!), I changed careers…three times. Or was it four?

But I never stopped moving. At least in the sense that I was doing something ll the time. A project here, a horse trade there, if activities were juggling balls I was was a world champ. I was driven, not by money or power, but by fear.

I’ve feared stagnation ever since I was a 13. In 1982, Bear Bryant, a great football coach at the University of Alabama, retired in excellent health, then died about a month later.

After the 1982 season, Bryant, who had turned 69 that September, decided to retire, stating, “This is my school, my alma mater. I love it and I love my players. But in my opinion, they deserved better coaching than they have been getting from me this year.” His last regular season game was a 23–22 loss to Auburn and his last postseason game was a 21–15 victory in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee over the University of Illinois. After the game, Bryant was asked what he planned to do now that he was retired. He replied “Probably croak in a week.”^[12] His reply proved ominous.

Four weeks after making that comment, and just one day after passing a routine medical checkup, on January 25, 1983, Bryant checked into Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa after experiencing chest pain. A day later, when being prepared for an electrocardiogram, he died after suffering a massive heart attack.

It seems to be a small little tidbit of information when you realize how little I care for sports. And the fact that I’m not an Alabama fan, or probably ever watched one of their games…But I know he was healthy, and when he stopped moving, he died.

Yes, one person out of millions, an unusual case. And my grandparents retired and then went on to live long lives after doing so. I only have one grandparent left, and I’m not sure she’s ever retired. She has changed jobs, but works as hard at 82 as I do some days. Yes, she’s slowed down a bit, “I can’t work as hard as I used to”, she tells me. But she’s still moving…

So that’s been my plan it seems, keep moving. Do something all the time. Only once in a while, it catches up with you. Kids in sports, jobs, writing, favors owed, and all the other things that happen day-to-day that have to be taken care of.

So I’m learning that I need to pace myself a little better. Learn to slow down a bit and enjoy the quieter things in life when I can.

Starting tomorrow.

Wait, I have three jobs tomorrow. Saturday is a three game softball tournament for the teenager, and that’s a two hour drive. Sunday is day two of that tournament. Maybe I’ll start next week….

Or next year…

Peace,
db

As always, please “like” FloridaHillbilly on Facebook, subscribe to my feed,  follow me on Twitter, add it to Google+, Pinterest, Linkdn, Digg, and/or tell your friends! The more folks that start behaving like ants, the fewer grasshoppers there will be left needing help.

Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and your price is the same, no matter what.