I am feeling pretty beat up today.
Partially because driving the van ,which is much newer and has a much smoother ride than my bus, comes with a whole lot more work.
In the bus,I can at most stops,simply open the door and let my patrons board.
Not so with the van.
At each an every stop I must get out,open the sliding door,assist them getting in to the van,seat them, strap them in, slam the sling door closed and then get back behind the wheel.
This morning that meant entering and exiting the van 16 times,seating and strapping in 11 patrons after helping each one up into the bus and then down from the bus.
Did I mention that seniors do not always cooperate ,take instructions well or listen when spoken to?
The physical toll is only part of the beating.
Traffic was burdensome all day.
The complaining from my patrons about the new transport was draining.
And then there were the 2 ,not 1, two, trips to Motor Vehicle.
I once heard a Rabbi say "I used to believe that there was only 1 God.......until I had to deal with the employees at Motor Vehicle."
Through in the added pressures of preparing for the upcoming holiday and you may well understand why I might be feeling as beat up this evening as I do.
A little voice inside of me keeps telling me that I should get something accomplished tonight in preparation for Thursday.
An even stronger voice is begging me to just shut down for the evening and start fresh in the morning.
Believe it or not, I think I am going to listen to that stronger voice.
I may rue that decision 24 hours from now as my window of opportunity to get things done narrows. However, I can't worry about that tonight.
Tonight, I will choose to be kind to myself.
How's that for a shift in behavior?