From Living It Daily
It was a typical long day working my service business, and it was also one that was busier than usual. Of course, it was my busy season, so it was to be expected, but there seemed to be more people than usual, too. On top of all that, the traffic was heavier than usual. I was working in my usual service area, Fort Myers Beach, which covered seven miles of condos, hotels, motels, and rental and private homes.
To be honest, because I knew my service schedule was full, I had started the day earlier than usual and was running behind. Almost every service call had taken longer than it should, and the heavy traffic didn’t help either. It was late in the day, and I had finally finished a call at mid-island and was headed to my last one of the day. It was after 5 pm, and I was really tired, looking forward to heading home for supper and getting some rest.
I remember I was about half a mile from that last call, running along in a line of traffic, but we were traveling at around the 35-mph speed limit. Suddenly, my service van began to sputter and miss, and then it died. I began to look for a place where I could safely pull off the road and eased my way onto the shoulder. Somewhat confused, I began to assess my situation, tried to start my van, and while it was cranking, I looked at the dash and noticed the gas gauge.
That’s when my memory kicked in. I was supposed to buy gas on my way to work that morning. I noticed I had just under a quarter of a tank when I got home the evening before, and I had been running on that amount of gas all day. Basically, I had been running on empty.
So, I guess you’re probably wondering what this has to do with anything at all other than the frustration of running out of gas late on a workday.
Well, I was thinking about that day a couple of mornings ago and considering my personal situation over the last couple of months. With all that is going on in the world around us and in my own life, I have had trouble getting motivated. I have had trouble finding my way on some days, and on others, it seems I am just struggling to survive the problems life throws my way.
I tend to blame most of this on a thing I struggle with at times called mild depression. I’ve been told it is common and many people are affected by it in one way or another, especially creative people. Some associate it with melancholy, and it is a mild depression of sorts, at least the way I understand it.
You see, sometimes I get overwhelmed with the problems that come my way and the state of the world and where it seems to be headed. I don’t believe I am alone in feeling overwhelmed. In fact, I will go one step further. Some or many of you may be experiencing these very same things. You have your own situations, but the feeling of being overwhelmed is common for many as opposed to the few.
Maybe you have had a rough time with work or are struggling financially. Perhaps your life has been turned upside down because of a physical struggle or illness. Maybe you are facing a very difficult and stressful family situation. The emotions are high but the resolutions seem distant. I don’t know what you face daily, just as you don’t know what I face on a daily basis.
What I do know is that things happen with regularity, and some are good, while others are difficult. When you feel like you’re running on empty, you probably are. The best thing you can do first is admit you are overwhelmed – running on empty – and take a step back to assess your situation.
Here’s the part of that day I haven’t told you about yet — what I actually did about it. I still had that last service call waiting on me, but I couldn’t get to it because I was out of gas and couldn’t go anywhere. As I thought about my options, I knew I didn’t have any roadside service agreement like AAA or others. I considered walking the two miles back to a gas station to borrow a can and grab a gallon of gas. That would have taken a lot of time, but I could have done it as a last resort. I thought about calling a tow truck, but I didn’t want to do that unless I absolutely had to. I had to do something.
Fortunately, my story did have a happy ending that day. I remembered a business acquaintance and friend who lived a couple of miles from where I was. If she were home and answered her phone, perhaps she could help me. I called, she answered, and she not only could help, but she also had a gas can, bought a couple of gallons of gas, and brought it to where I was stranded — problem solved. I was able to go to the service call, drive back to the gas station, get gas, and head home with no further problems, all thanks to her helping me out.
That’s why I say, if you feel as though you’re running on empty and don’t know what to do, take a step back, take a breath, assess your situation, and maybe there is a trusted friend or acquaintance you can call and maybe just talk. You never know; they may have an answer you haven’t considered, and they can fill your tank…
Hey, this is Russ and I’m still Living It Daily… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© July 01, 2026 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, LivingItDaily.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and Pod Cast Norm Productions
All music TwoBuckThemes from Mike Stewart unless otherwise stated
