Lack of Sleep. Lack of Perspective.

The last few weeks have been hectic, more so than usual. If I was lucky, I was getting 5 hours of sleep a night.

I know. Not enough, but such was the scenario.  As you know, you can only go so long at that rate before it catches up with you...in many ways.

One, was particularly unfortunate.

One of my trusted service providers (whatever she says, I'll pretty much do) emailed me to discuss a situation. I called her. It was early in the morning. I was exhausted and trying to help the NFO get the kids out the door to school.

She started listing Option A, Option B, Option C...doing her job, giving me all the scenarios.  I replied, perhaps a bit too sternly, "Look, don't tell me the Options, you're the expert, just tell me what I should do. I trust you and I'll do it!"

Normally, that's a sign of confidence, but in this scenario, it rubbed her the wrong way and she laid into me. She, too, was exhausted, but for a different reason. Aside from the relentless demands of her job, her husband had just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and the last thing she needed was for me, anyone, to speak roughly to her.

I felt about 1 inch tall and, naturally, apologized profusely.  Had I not been so tired, I probably would have been more calm about it, but it as the proverbial wake-up call (pun not intended, it just came out that way) that, no matter how much you think you get done, you can't avoid the need for sleep.  

I felt terrible.  

That night, I went to bed early and got 8 hours.