There was just one problem: writing takes time, and the rest of the man’s life didn’t stop. He still had to go to his job as a teacher every day. He still had to plan lessons and grade papers and write IEPs. He still had to coach the boys at track practice. He still had to drive his two daughters to and from play rehearsal and band rehearsal and dance lessons. Oh, and he still had to try to find five minutes for a conversation with his wife.
All of this, combined with the writing, left the man exhausted. He knew he wasn’t getting enough sleep, but he didn’t want to give up his writing, and he couldn’t give up any of the other stuff. (Unless he won Powerball, which he hadn’t). The man was having trouble focusing during the day. He found his eyes were closing when he looked at a computer screen for too long. He wanted to eat all day, the more sugar the better.
One day, about halfway through the challenge (it happened to be a day known as the Ides of March, about which the man had heard warnings), the man was driving home from track practice. It had been a good practice, and the man felt refreshed, but once he sat down and started driving, he felt rough. He tried closing his eyes for a few seconds at stop lights, but that wasn’t helping. He thought about pulling over for a few minutes, but, as usual, he had a busy night ahead, and wanted to get home as soon as possible. It was only about three more miles…
Bmmmp! What happened? The man opened his eyes and saw the SUV in front of him slowly pulling off to the side, with a gash in its rear bumper. It took him a second, but he realized what had occurred: his eyes had closed while he was driving, and he had rear-ended the vehicle in front of him.
The rest is standard: are you OK? (yes), exchange of insurance info, so sorry, etc. The man knew the other driver; he had been the sixth-grade teacher of the man’s older daughter. The two shook hands and drove off, with the man planning to call his insurance company to file a claim as soon as he was safe home.
All’s well that ends well. No one was hurt, and the damage, while requiring repair, wasn’t that bad. The airbags didn’t even deploy. (The man has a clean driving record, so with Allstate Accident Forgiveness, his rates won’t go up, and with the Good Driver Discount, his collision deductible is only $100!)
The man learned his lesson: get some sleep! Good night!