Tyred Out

by Judy Klipin

I have had a slow puncture in one of the wheels on my car for some time now.  It started with a 4 inch nail piercing my tyre while I was driving to the airport at 4am in December.  The nice men at the service station kindly patched the wheel up and sent me on my way, but the leak has been getting progressively worse ever since then.  Every couple of days I feel my car losing its grip and realize its because the air is escaping from the tyre again.

Rather like my energy levels.

In the USA ‘tyre’ is spelt ‘tire’ and it seems to me that my tyre was telling me about my tiredness.

Over the last few months I have been traveling quite a lot for the consulting work that I do in addition to my coaching and writing.  Traveling does not agree with me.

I miss my family.  I miss my animals.  I miss my home.

Unless I am going away on holiday, in which case I take at least some of these things with me, I really don’t like to go away.

But for the last few weeks of last year, and the first few weeks of this year, I have been away from home quite a bit.  (The work that took me away was interesting and stimulating.  If I had been doing that work in Johannesburg I would have loved every second of it.)

Because I am very bad at looking after myself when I am away from home, I have felt my energy draining away from me with every business trip. The December holiday was an energy patch-up job, just like the plug the men put in my tyre.  It wasn’t enough to restore me to my former energetic glory.

Last week, after it became clear that I could not ignore the puncture any longer (coincidentally when I was away from home again) I decided that I needed to be a grown up and fix things.

I decided no more travel for the next few weeks at least.  I went to the tyre fitment centre and my car now proudly sports 4 new shiny tyres.  I also went and had a Vitamin B injection.

It may seem a bit far-fetched to many, but I know that there is a close correlation between the state of my car and the state of my life.  I feel so much better now that I have taken steps to restore the air supply and energy in both!

Feeling overwhelmed in your life, work or relationships?

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