Welcome back sleepless nights.

I have been on holiday for a week. We arrived home yesterday morning, I dropped off my luggage and raced into the office. I went home from work sometime after 8 p.m. after an Elders' Board meeting and then did some reading for Sunday's service. I went to bed with my traditional cup of Horlicks and dropped off to sleep easily. At around 1:30  I was wide awake for a toilet visit, then lay there stewing on my week ahead. "How do I fit all the stuff in? "  - "How am I going to handle that sleazy man I have to confront?" - "What will I preach on this week - follow the epistle lectionary and preach on 'death' or do a service thinking about questions to ask when voting?" - "What am I going to say at the wedding on Sunday? When am I going to prepare for the wedding? Stink! I said I would attend a professional development day on Friday? I'll have to remember to cancel my usual Friday morning coffee with a friend!" - "Will I keep on at the chaplaincy I want to drop till Christmas? How is the Church going to afford me when I drop it? How am I going to fit the hours in this week?" - "When can I fit in going back to see my brother-in-law? When will I get back into the garden?"  "I need to get into Christmas day dinner plans!" - "What is going to happen at the church in two years when I retire? Perhaps I'll hang around and support them? No I don't want to continue this stress, distortion and compromise!  But then I'll be seen as a quitter and not practicing what I preach?...." ... so it went on... I was still awake at 5 a.m. ... During my week off I had slept soundly  (except in strange beds there were times I missed the comfort of "my" pillows and "my" water bed.) ... Welcome back to the real world. Landed with a thud! Now I can't settle, our old dog Max is at the vet for xray and blood tests. Apparently the vet said, "He is old for a dog of his type?" I will miss him if this is the end. ... not going to have any more pets! Settle Dave... you have work to do! Roll on retirement!