This week took it out of me.  One of the chefs at my restaurant was out sick, and we all worked a lot of overtime to give him time to recuperate.  Between the extreme heat, the extra hours, and the kids heading back to school, I'm beat.  The sound of my 5 am alarm this morning made me want to curl up into a ball and hide.

But I got myself up and out and on the road early.  Still groggy, I pulled out of our neighborhood and hit the main drag.  Now, I catch the sunrise most mornings, but the sun coming up on my way to work today just bowled me over.

Immediately, I pulled over and took a picture of it.  It just looked so spectacular.  I let myself watch the sun come up for 5 minutes and feel a bit in awe of it.  And then the strangest damned thing happened.

I wasn't tired anymore. Letting that sunrise wow me had the side effect of wiping away all my exhaustion in a matter of minutes. I felt refreshed.  I'd even go so far as to say I was exhilarated.

It dawned on me today just how linked physical and mental fatigue really are.  A tired mind cannot invigorate.  Likewise, a mind that is awake seems to be able to energize the body.  Being mentally inspired in the midst of something as mundane as a drive to work is like caffeine for the soul.  Apparently, all it takes is a small jolt of something new in the middle of our all-too-familiar patterns and trains of thought to put a spring in our step.

Reader, if you too find yourself mentally tired this week, let's look for surprises.  There is an endless source of them if we allow ourselves to be wowed, even in the course of our daily routines.  Let's keep our minds engaged and eager to see all the world has to show us.

On that note: there will be no blog from me next week.  I'm forcing my staff out of their routine and taking most of my restaurant crew to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to allow them to recharge in nature.  I'll be back here in two weeks, hopefully well-rested and with stories of surprises.  See you then. -Em