End of the Line.

Tomorrow another hitch at a remote site is coming to an end. When I'm home, there are all sorts of things that compete for my time. In the field, I have working, eating, sleeping, watching TV, surfing the web, and riding the trainer. That's it. After a while, the only one I want to do anymore is sleeping. The rest slowly grind me down mentally and physically.

I'm at the point where I'm pedaling harder and not seeing the same results. That's a sure sign of burnout, so I've been pretty much coasting the last couple weeks. Do just enough not to lose significant ground, and wait for the legs to come back around. It's taking a while, but one thing I've had plenty of here is time.

I miss my wife and kids and dogs and bed and... everything. I feel like a stranger when I return, as their lives have gone on while mine has been more or less suspended in time. It takes a while to get up to speed, to feel like I belong. Then it's back again to the grinding wheel to see what else I can wear away. It certainly isn't weight. I seem to retain that no matter how much I pedal.

I'm ready to go home. I did what I needed to do, or at least I did my best.


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