Ordinarily I don’t like to allow the Silverado’s fuel to drop below a half-tank. I dunno if it’s the prepper in me or what, but I’ve been that way about my vehicles for thirty years or more.
I intentionally let it get down to a quarter-tank this time, and that paid off yesterday. I was able to apply a Casey’s 36-cents-per-gallon fuel reward, valid on up to 20 gallons, to a 19.3-gallon fillup. It cut the price from $2.539 to $2.179.
(Hey, it’s the little things.)
Casey’s was the fourth and last of our Tuesday morning errands, a rare circuit that took us to both nearby towns. (We usually do one or the other.) Smudge and I began at Harps, moved on to the post office and ended our Yellville leg at the smoke shop before heading to Flippin for fuel.
We’d been up early, which isn’t unusual. I cleaned the coffeemaker and did dishes. One load of laundry was in the dryer and another, bedding, was in the washer when we left for town. It’s all part of my penchant for being productive while most folks are still asleep.
I found myself exhausted, though. I wasn’t able to shake that. I couldn’t will it away.
I suppose I’d earned it.
When we got back to The Mountain, I picked up where I’d left off. Groceries put away. Clean clothes folded. Bedding loaded into the dryer. But my legs felt a little wobbly, so shortly after 11am I flopped onto the undressed bed and closed my eyes.
I didn’t wake up ’til 2:30pm. It was one helluva nap, maybe the best sleep I’ve gotten in months.
What remained of my Tuesday was equally unambitious. My only accomplishments were dressing the bed and scooping out the firebox.
That thing called “pace” I often talk about isn’t a matter of working constantly at the same rate. As Pirsig observed,
“Mountains should be climbed with as little effort as possible and without desire. The reality of your own nature should determine the speed. If you become restless, speed up. If you become winded, slow down. You climb the mountain in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion.”
That’s the balance I strive for. While operating between the rails of restlessness and exhaustion, I bump into both, but (most of the time) I back off before I crash through either.
So get busy. Take a long nap. Find your balance, and live your pace.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable