Stress

I thought that once you retired, you left stress behind you, but it appears that my lifestyle is stressful for my folks and by inference to me too! I kind of dread the day when I get engaged, as Dad will pipe up that one wife screwed my life up, so I must just remain single for Eternity!

I offered to take them to Pinetown to see my aunt who is emigrating soon. The only thing that I asked was "Please dont make it Wednesday?" I have a standing appointment to see the lady in my life AND my calling as a District Counsel Member, involves meetings on Wednesday evenings! Mom and Jackie arranged to meet on - you've guessed it - Wednesday! I have an District Council meeting on Wednesday - announced today! When I asked "could we leave Pimetown by 3?" there were tears and moaning about inconsiderableness.

I had an arguement with Dad because he feels that it is not responsible to do 170 km's from Pinetown to home before the sun sets, and he feels that 170 kms to Pinetown, 170 kms back, then 55 to Church then 55 back is way too much driving!

I have input my Aunts address in my GPS, and I know that Dad will freak out if I turn where my GPS tells me to, instead of where he tells me to!

When I take the Elders up to the Game Reserve, I drive with very few stops for 8 hours or so - at a stretch! I see that, if I can do 500 km's in 8 hours, surely my car can do 170 km's in 1 1/2 hours! When I drive to Johannesburg, I drive for a minimum of 6 hours to get to Sandton. 450 kilometers in a day is not THAT far!

I know that Dad freaks if you go faster than 60 on the open road, but that is WAY TOO SLOW for me! The speed limit is 120, so why hold up traffic by not exceeding half of that! When he drives, Pinetown is a full 4 hours drive away, just to get there!

Even at 120, I feel like the slowest vehicle on the road, because EVERYONE overtakes me - often in the face of oncoming traffic! Question - do you be a law abiding citizen and drive at the official speed limit, or do you ignore speed limits like all the pirate taxis do - with apparent immunity? I understand in Johannesburg, if you are not doing the speed limit - at least - they pull you over and throw you off the road as a traffic hazard!

I feel sometimes that I cannot win, no matter what I do!

I also had comments made that since my accident, I have become way more self involved! Where THAT one came from is a mystery to me! Maybe I have, but I feel that others are important to me! Kind of helps when I realise that I am important to them at the same time! I sometimes feel that Dad resents me for my position as a moderately well off retiree! He definitely resents my being an active LDS (Mormon) member, and this came out today! He questioned why my church membership came before my extended family? The last time he went to Church was when my brother got married! HELLO!!! - who is MORE important here, Dad or Heavenly Father?

I know that my mortal Dad thinks he is important - to the exclusion of all else - and he seems to resent that I am working on my Eternal Salvation. When it boils down, I am the only one who can get ME to the Celestial Kingdom, with the promised faithful wife - and he resents that I drive 110 km's a week to do so - unless I have meetings during the week to attend. When I was stabbed, I was Presiding Elder out at Esikhawini and when he found out, he forbade me from attending to my calling! I was living in his home so I could not go against his wishes! I just wonder what he would have said if he knew that my brother used to go out to Esikhawini, drinking in a shebeen. I will not tell him! I never felt unsafe in Esikhawini no matter how many locals were out and about! In fact, I have felt distinctly unsafe in the predominantly white town of Richards Bay! Go figure!

It seems that if the sun sets, Dad freaks that danger is close by, but he forgets that Princess Leia has very strong highbeam lights AND powerful spotlights also. Driving at night is pretty nigh more clear than driving during the daylight!