I’ve been running on empty lately. With an assortment of time-consuming things going on in my personal life, I haven’t had any time to take care of myself. When your physical being is running on empty you add fuel by either sleeping or eating (or both). But when your emotional being is running on empty your only cure is to find some time to feed your soul. For me this means some physical activity (like running or walking), some social activity (like attending a concert), or some purely down time (like watching Netflix and knitting with a cat on my lap). I haven’t really been able to fit any of those in for the last week or so, and it’s had me focusing on situations where it hurts you to be unfueled.
It’s never a good idea to be running around without fuel in the tank. With your car that means get to the gas station before you run out of gas. (Pro tip: the Rutter’s in Bellefonte has had their unleaded price at $2.059 for over a week now—definitely worth the drive for the savings!) Running out of gas can cause you a multitude of larger expenses (towing, potential damage to fuel pump), so it’s best to fill up before you absolutely have to.
When your wallet is running on empty you may find yourself in a situation where you need cash (because believe it or not there are still situations where plastic is not accepted) and have none. To brace myself against these situations I keep what I call my “emergency $20” tucked away behind my driver’s license in my wallet. I put it there and forget about it. It’s never a part of my cash on hand. Until I need it. And then I have it. And I replace it as soon as possible after it is used. This way my wallet is never running on empty.
When I’m out and about I always try to make sure I have emergency snacks and beverage. I try to keep granola bars in my car or my purse. And I always have a travel coffee cup or water bottle (or both) with me when I leave the house for more than a few minutes. That way if things don’t go according to plan, I don’t have to high tail it to the closest Sheetz because I’m hangry or thirsty. I can keep my physical body fueled up without having to spend extra money to do so.
I have a vacation coming up next week that will likely serve to refuel my emotional being. I’m hoping that my anticipation of that event will carry me through this week (likely with the help of the cheesecake I made yesterday). It’s never a good idea to run on empty. A little planning can make it so your car, your wallet, and your physical being never have to.