End of year fatigue is in the air

The year is slowly winding down and you can see and feel that end of year fatigue setting in. There is that beautiful saying: the spirit is willing, but the body is weak. I suppose many of us will say "Amen" to this. The year has been a long one with many challenges and changes.

 

I watched my colleagues at our Monday morning meeting. Usually there is wee bit of competition by one of my colleagues who likes to be the first to share her weekend delights. This week it was different, though. She sat there, twiddling her pen and eventually delivered her story like a stony judge. Then our workaholic, flu-ish colleague croaked her story of an awesome weekend away and ended on a whimperish note:" I am really exhausted." This, I may add, is not how we normally do it; we are just plain Moeg (tired).

 

Sometimes this end of year fatigue can be a blessing, like my experience with a fellow road user. I must confess I can be quite irritated and impatient with motorists who are selfish or careless on the road. But this week, I admired myself for being calm and accommodating when one of my gender tested my driving skills.

 

I was minding my own boring business while travelling to one of the schools. As I was driving, I gave silent thanks to the invention of the car. All I had to do was keep my hands on the steering wheel and my one foot on the accelerator pedal as I snaked along Ou Kaapse Weg behind another bored driver. We travelled like that until we reached the main road, peacefully and hypnotically.That is, until I neared a set of robots where I was going to turn right.

 

I saw a white car edging on to the road and assumed the driver, an elderly lady, would stop because there was a rather busy traffic flow. My... My... Our dear Driving Miss Daisy just turned straight into the road, causing me to brake sharply. Had it been January or even June for that matter, I would have hooted long enough for her to hop from her seat. But, I just left the white- haired damsel who had no clue of the near accident that she had almost caused. I wasn't going to waste my low energy reserves.

 

It is good to acknowledge our ebbs and flows. We are not machines, after all.Whoever thought of splitting up the year into periods of work and holiday breaks deserve all the accolades in the world. The symptoms of end of year fatigue are reminders to slow down, tune out and replenish body and soul.

 

I am SO ready for the holidays!