I have been in an absolute frenzy putting the finishing touches on the year. There are tiers in play that are reachable for fiscal year incentives, but it is a chaotic struggle to try and make them. Business stress is off the chart, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Balance between work and personal life is non-existent. Keep in mind, it is now December, too. Is your Christmas tree decorated? Of course, this adds another facet of stress to our lives trying to coordinate family functions, make appearances at parties and dinners, and trying to keep our own shop open at home. Does this sound familiar? Does work and the holiday season become so hectic that neither is enjoyable. If this resonates with you, as it does with me, then we’ve got to come to a place in our lives to “Get a Grip.”
I work to fund my habits. By now you know my main habits are hunting and fishing. To make matters worse, stress is bleeding over into what I cherish so much, the great outdoors. I look forward all year to making the trek west for two to three weeks to chase mid-western bucks through the creek bottoms and sage flats. Weekends are spent working extra to collect enough coins to pay my way for the opportunity to visit these epic haunts. Excitement begins to build for the next year as soon as I leave the ranches this year. I’m consumed with it, whether good or bad. Allow me to take you down the lane of what I do to prepare for the jaunt west. Let me warn you though, just reading this, may cause your blood pressure to increase.
All year I have been putting off adding a couple pair of hunting pants to my wardrobe. As I have mentioned before, I visited multiple outlets, driving hundreds of miles, literally, before I found what I was looking for. Thankfully, West Point was the place to be. This took several days of going through racks of clothes, trying them on, all to no avail. Again, this was stressful.
I always check my rifle before hitting the woods to ensure it is dialed in. I kept telling myself, you’ve got to get to the range. On the days the weather was favorable to shoot, I was busy with work. The brutally hot days the first few weeks of November were not ideal, for barrels get hot and accuracy is compromised. I am a perfectionist when it comes to my equipment performing. The slightest error can cause you to fail in your efforts when the human factor is added. This was ever-present in my mind as I finally rushed to the range and completed my task. This is supposed to be enjoyable, but I viewed it as something that had to be completed in a hurry so I could move on to the next stage of planning.
My binoculars have a built-in range finder that is powered by a battery. I have had all year to replace the battery to ensure the digital reading won’t fade when that crucial moment presents itself on top of the canyon. Do you think I changed it out in October? You already know the answer. That’s right, the day before I left, I was searching for the correct battery for my model of optics. Again, I added more stress to my already hectic schedule.
I have been spraying in my last year’s hunting boots all summer. It was time to replace them so off to the boot shop I went. I found what I was looking for, and they had them in stock. Miracles never cease, do they? The sweet lady had to run upstairs to the stock room and grab a pair. She handed them to me, checked me out at the register, and I was on my way. Finally, something went right, or so I thought. I returned home, opened the box and guess what, the wrong boots were inside. You didn’t hear muttering when I realized this, did you? Back to the store I went, stood in line, and got my replacements. It was my own fault. All I had to do was slow down and check the box before I left. You would think I would learn, but evidently, I haven’t.
Out of state licenses have been for sale all year. When I logged in to purchase the required tags guess what happened. Have you ever received the message that the site was temporarily unavailable? I know better than to try and get someone in person to talk to on the phone. I just closed my laptop and moved on to another task. However, before I could log off, I received a company email with details about upcoming training that must be completed by December 6th. There were only 20 courses that had to be taken with an exam at the end of each course. Cybersecurity, DOT regulation training, pesticides in the workplace, you name it. I felt like I was taking one step forward and two steps back. I always get it done, and I will in this case as well, but by the hardest.
I was off to the grocery store to get my necessary supplies for my trip when the phone rang. It was the state of Mississippi calling, telling me that it was time for my pesticide records check. No worries, my house was in order, but today was the only day I would have to meet before I left. I turned the truck around, went to my office, grabbed my folder of documents, and went through them with the inspector. This wasn’t a big deal, but it kept me behind in completing my “to do” list.
I made a list of what I needed from the local grocer. Finally, some planning paid off. They had what I wanted, including a few prime New York strips. Red pepper jelly and Ritz crackers are a must with the Edam and Vallagret cheese from MSU. In fact, my outfitters tell me every year, “don’t come out here without that cheese.” It is a treat that few in the western states know about. It makes for a wonderful evening around the campfire when the libations are poured, the cheese is sliced, and there are a couple bucks on the pole. Hopefully, this will be the end result, and the reward for all the planning and stress we go through to get to a point of relaxation.
Truthfully, I complicate my life to a large degree by adding undue stress that could be avoided with a little better planning. Not all of it, but a significant portion of stress, is self-induced. Of course, if I wasn’t a driven individual with the motive of perfection, I would probably fare much better in everyday life. The main question that remains is will I be able to turn the world off for a few weeks and enjoy what is in front of me? Will my heart rate decrease when the skies reveal billions of stars at night with no sounds but perhaps the howl of a lonesome coyote or the subtle hoot of a Great Horned Owl? Will the sound of the water rushing over a beaver dam on the North Canadian create and help me maintain a calm demeanor? I’m sure it will if I allow it.
Will I be able to close my eyes and enjoy the sound of the tickling of antlers from two bucks sparring over the favor of a doe in the pre-dawn darkness? Will I be able to allow myself the time away from the daunting drive for more business and demands from the head shed? Will I be able to keep my mind off the role playing during the upcoming annual meeting? Will office D-365 training thoughts control my time away? If it does, again, it will be because I allow it to happen. I’m so glad Stacey told me to leave my laptop on my desk when I entertained the thought of taking it with me. She was right. One thing is for certain, I’m way ahead in my writing and hopefully when I return, I will have many new experiences to share with you.
Do you stress yourselves as I have described? If so, let’s figure out a way to alleviate this from our lives as much as possible. Who knows, I may even turn this cell phone off for a few days. Now that would be quite the accomplishment in making strides towards a more “normal” life, if there is such a thing.
I’ll be back with you soon, but in the meantime, do your best to slow down. I’m going to take my own advice as well. Until next time enjoy our woods and waters and remember, let’s leave it better than we found it.
