Sunday, August 03, 2008
Tim Russert was at the peak of his game when at the tender young age of 58 he collapsed and died from a heart attack at the NBC studios. It was Friday the 13th.
A giant in media and politics, all his peers seemed to agree that Russert was the best media interviewer out there. I concur.
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As a master of journalism, he seemed to be everywhere all the time. Reportedly he was a real workaholic.
Even though he had just returned from a wonderful family trip to Italy celebrating his fine son's graduation, his too-early death was pinned in large part to the demands of an enormously consuming profession.
God rest his soul and God bless his family.
Rest. This brings me, my friends, to the subject of self-imposed stress hell.
I know, I should talk.
I am down to my favorite dirty dozen careers and am working hard on the most important word in my life: no.
More everything
It's the word I need most in the face of offers hard to turn down: more concerts, more speaking engagements, more personal appearances, more writing assignments, more charity events, more fundraisers, more TV shows, more movies, more interviews, more hunting trips, more, more, more.
I heard over and over again from Russert's fellow journalists how he "worked himself to exhaustion." My loving family and loyal associates have told me many times how I should stop doing just that. I think I shall.
Now, I am here to tell you that I sincerely believe that I surely spend more quiet, peaceful, quality time with my family, dogs and friends, and sit silently in soul-cleansing spirit of the wild treestands than quite possibly any man who ever lived.
Critically balanced with my brain-pounding rock 'n roll intensity the rest of the year, I am also quite certain that this is why I haven't blown up yet.
But as I enter the elderly realm of the big 6-0, I am committed to further upgrading prioritization of my quality time. That means to increase substantially the down time I spend with the loving people in my life.
It can be done, and I am doing it right now. I'm wrapping up a very ferocious, brutal concert tour again, bringing my summertime musical jihad to a screeching halt as I welcome the dynamic of my sacred fall and winter hunting season.
As producer of our "Spirit of the Wild" TV show, I could keep my bags packed, swap guitars for bows and arrows, and simply rush back onto the road, this time touring hunting camps around the world.
No, thank you. I am reducing my travel, and therefore the stress factor so as to optimize the ultimate relaxing elements of what the great outdoors provides.
Fortunately, the hunting, fishing and trapping is great here at home in Texas, so I can indeed accomplish this healthy upgrade quite easily. I must.
Take a good, long, hard look at your life. Honestly ask yourself how important stress relief is to you.
Me, I am making it a point to start a small campfire each evening as the sun goes down, and sit there with my loving family and dogs.
Stress is self-imposed. Its relief is also self-imposed.
Ted Nugent is a Waco-based musician and television show host. Contact him directly at tednugent.com.
