Sometimes it takes more than one sign to get your attention

I was hurtling along a winding country road a few days ago when I ran over a long section
of warning bumps and came up on this quadruple set of stop signs.

It made me laugh, but it also made me think. This crossroads is out in the country, but they must have had a good reason to erect four stop signs instead of one. Enough people must have been killed or injured at this intersection to warrant this quadruple warning.

As I drove through the intersection and into the countryside beyond, I started thinking about my own situation. I was on my way to a convention for non-profit organizations and I was double-booked much of the day. I had even skipped breakfast so I could make the thirty-five mile trip in time for the opening speech.

In less than two months, I had accelerated from a relaxed life of
writing and woodworking to an all-consuming career of developing
strategies and tactics to help people become more able as artisans and
to become more successful in bringing their products to market.

I have written warnings about seductive jobs here and here and yet I was repeating the old cycle again. The lure of being able to make a real difference had pulled me right in.

It had gotten so fascinating and time consuming that I had stopped
blogging on a daily basis. I have tons of interesting topics to share,
but I was struggling to find time to write posts.

My wife had almost given up on the honey-do list and my workshop sat
empty and still. It was time for an assessment of what I want to do
with my life, given that there are only 24 hours in a day.

The answer was simple, once the quadruple stop signs jolted me into
a realization I was speeding through life and missing much of the joy
that comes from a complete life as opposed to a busy one.

I spent almost an entire weekend doing chores and shopping with
Gretchen. My home office is almost cleaned up and the screens are all
up. Now I need to prioritize my workload so that I can do the critical
tasks and get help on the tasks that can be delegated.

As for the sign, it is located on a back road between Riner and
Radford in Southwest Virginia. If you come across it, feel free to drop
me a line and tell me what it meant to you.