THE DAILY DIVERSION

A BREAK IN THE ACTION...

Okay, I'm taking a short break from my otherwise busy workday to share something that I figured out just a little while ago (actually over the last 8 years, technically).

That lesson is this...

"Work is killing me!"

I know, I know... A lot of people say that, and it's not normally true. A lot of people actually have much more difficult jobs than myself, but I'm not talking about the job I perform being dangerous to my health. I'm talking about me actually having a job is slowly killing me off. Here is my reasoning:

1) When I was in high school and college I held down a part-time job almost year round. At that time my max weight was 165 pounds. I ran a lot, played a ton of basketball, and spent more time outdoors than inside. Since I began my "career" in 1997 my weight has ballooned to a peak of 22o pounds. (I'm currently at 210, and hopefully falling) I have no time to run, shoot even a little hoop, or go outside. Usually, by the time I leave work, it's dark outside anyway, and Momma always told me to be in when the street lights came on.

2) When I was in high school and college, I was the picture of health. I rarely got sick and was strong as an ox, even for my wiry frame. Now, however, I think all of my internal organs are fighting some war against me. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure back in 2000, which really sucks! I have to take medication daily, just to keep me in check. I'm also on medication for acid reflux. When I was in college there wasn't even a term "acid reflux". If my belly hurt I drank a half bottle of Pepto. Simple!

Now, I'm lucky to lift my ass out of bed every day, which leads me to my final point...

3) When I was in high school and college I used to be able to sleep at time of the day and for 15 hours at a time, if I felt like I needed to. Now, I'm lucky to get 4 or 5 good hours of sleep a night. "Good" means that I don't wake up a lot nor have to get out of bed to go to the bathroom. God forbid I have anything to drink after 7 pm!

So, there you have it! I'm a dead man walking, and it's all because of work! Is a paycheck really worth all of this?