By Trent Rosser

Have you ever been too tired to sleep? So tired that you ache to the bones? That's how I have been feeling for quite a while. It seems that either I am not getting enough sleep, or I am not sleeping well throughout the night. I am not sure which, but it could be a mixture of both. So here is my not so clear thinking.

Stress has been known to deprive many of a good night's sleep. I know for a fact that many are stressed out due to the coronavirus. Many have lost their source of income. That alone brings a ton of different stress levels. How will they pay rent, buy food, or provide for their families. I am one of the lucky ones, I am considered an essential employee. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful that I am still employed, \but even we are overstressed during this pandemic. We are stressed about being out with this virus. Will we catch it and bring it home to our families? Another thing that I personally have been stressed about is alcohol. As most of you know, I am a recovering alcoholic. I have been sober for over 10 years now. I have a family member who is struggling with the same issues. He recently acquired his second D.W.I. It was stressful with us trying to help him. Luckily, he finally came to his senses and asked for help. He finally made the decision to go to rehab. That is a little stress off our shoulders.

Constantly working is also another reason I am tired. Please do not take this the wrong way, I do work hard and I know many, many other people work just as hard or even harder than I do on a daily basis. But at this time. I'm just gonna explain myself. I work as a tire tech at a large trucking company. I change and repair the large truck tires. I have been in the industry for nearly 20 years. At least 13 of those years were manual labor of changing truck tires. I did try to get out of the business, but ended up working with the logistics part of trucking as a dispatcher. Trust me, I am not complaining. I love my job, but it is hard and dangerous work. And to tell the truth, at 50 years old, I can still run circles around the younger whippersnappers and tire techs. But, like I said, I'm tired. An average tire weighs about 100 pounds. Add another 50 to 60 pounds for the steel wheel. I pick them up and roll them around and swing a sledgehammer on them all day long. I work 6 days a week and average about 50 to 55 hours per week. Again, don't get me wrong, I love this job and wouldn't trade it for anything. Luckily I only work half a day on Saturdays and off all day on Sundays. This is where my other job comes into play.

Years ago, I had my own lawn mowing business. I did not have many clients, but I did have enough to keep myself busy. As of today, I now only mow a couple of yards. Which is fine since I only have a push mower and a weed eater which I also use to edge the sidewalks. So, again, I'm tired.

This brings me to my final job that I have. The column "Rosser's Ramblings" is just a part time thing, and I have been doing it since October of 2016. This job has a few perks that I love. The Editor and Publisher of the Amarillo Pioneer are good friends of mine and I would do anything for. I have always wanted to write. To have people read my stories and antidotes, to make them smile, laugh, or even cry. To make someone stop and think, or reminisce about something from the past or of a simpler time. I have met many people and even gained a few new friends with my writings. Due to my column I was able to attend my first ballet (which contrary to popular belief, I did not show up to in a tutu). I was able to attend a couple of concerts and even met a couple of celebrities. My first interview was with the wrestling legend Jake "The Snake" Roberts. The most touching interview was with the last survivor that was pulled out of the rubble of the World Trade Center on September 12, 2001. Genelle Guzman- McMillan was on the 13 floor when the building came down. She is an amazing lady. I enjoy the feedback from my readers and try to answer all. I enjoy writing about something new every week. Whether it be about my lovely wife and our dogs, staying sober in this crazy world, going back in time to talk about the 80s music or even just my feeble opinion of our local politics. I have always said that with my column, I wanted to make people laugh or smile before the weekend starts. But, like I said, "I'm tired"

So, unfortunately, I have lost my smile. With the work overload, and stress during these trying times, I need to cut back and relax a little. So, I will cut back on the lawns that I mow. And, unfortunately, I will have to partially retire from "Rosser's Ramblings". I will still try to pop up an article about once a month, but I will no longer be able to do a weekly article. This is not goodbye, it is just a break to reset and possibly come up with new material. I want to say thank you to everyone that reads my stories. I hope you either smiled or laughed. Again, this is not goodbye. It is just a time to relax. As Arnold said in the movie "The Terminator", I'll be back!!

Until next time…..