The Tipping Point

The Selene Yacht pulled up anchor at 11:45. I was more than glad to be getting out of Phukett, Thailand. The town was overrun with prostitution, seedy bars, and old white men trolling for lady boys and teenage Thai girls. No, Phuket was definitely not my kind of town.

Anna, the other crew member, and I stood watch watching the autopilot steering a steady course and watching out for boats while the captain slept. Sitting on the upper deck we marveled at the breathtaking cliffs with sheets of greenery cascading down them.

By the time we dropped anchor at Koh Yeo, I could feel exhaustion setting in. Travel weary didn't begin to cover it. "Can I take a nap?" I asked? Actually what I really needed was to sleep for about 24-hours, but a nap would do in a pinch.

But we had just gotten to Koh Yeo, Thailand. There was a whole new corner of tropical paradise to explore. The captain wanted to get the dinghy down and set out on an expedition immediately.

"Just 15 minutes?" I implored.

The captain just gave me a look. I had to help get the dinghy down. If I didn't want to go it was up to me. Of course, that would mean I wasn't participating my first day on the boat. No, I needed to overcome the fatigue and go on the dinghy ride.

Soon I was lost in the beauty of impossibly high cliffs, limestone caves, and overgrown jungle beaches. I could easily understand why they had filmed scenes from the Man With the Golden Gun on the nearby James Bond Island. Marveling at the hanging ferns, the stalactite knives stabbing down, and hidden caves that only appeared at low tide all exhaustion was forgotten. Forgotten until I was back on the boat.

The moment I sat down on the boat I knew something was wrong. The 90 degree humidity was suddenly cold. I quickly excused myself and curled up in my bunk under some sheets. Soon I fell into a fitful sleep. The next 24-hours were a roller coaster of chills and fever.

For three days after that it was all I could do to stay awake for an hour. I had pushed myself too far, hadn't taken care of myself and the terrible truth was that there was nothing I could do now. My body had told me I needed a nap, I didn't listen, and I paid the price. It was almost as if my immune system gave the little bit of energy it had been using to power me for the dinghy ride and everything collapsed when I got back to the boat.

When you have a brain injury it is imperative you listen to what your body tells you. Especiallywhen you are traveling. There are so many extra stresses on your body when you're on the road that if you don't listen to it something will give, and you won't enjoy life when that happens.

When you feel exhaustion creeping up on you, you will reach a tipping point where the most important thing is to sleep. If you push yourself past that, and it is certainly possible, there can and often will be dire consequences, whether it is a blowup or just your body gets sick. 99 times out of 100 whatever you are doing is not as important as taking care of yourself. There's always that 1%, but if what you are doing can wait or is less important than losing a week of your life, the put it down and take a nap. In a car, in a park, on a bus - there are always places you can find a few minutes to get a life-saving power nap in. Remember, it's not selfish to put yourself first, in this case, it's necessary. After all, you can't help anyone after exhaustion has taken the reins.