Overworked & Underloved: Steemit saved me...

The phone rang twice. At first I thought it was the alarm ringing, but I remembered that I hadn't set any, it was Saturday. It rang the third time, and I couldn't ignore it anymore, the goddamn ringtone was like a train's horn, shrilling into the night, and shattering any form of peace. I really had to reduce the volume, I don't know why I kept forgetting. well, I pretty much forgot everything nowadays. By now, it was at its fourth ring. I reached for the phone on my nightstand, so that I could turn it off, or throw it against the wall, it wasn't there. I'd left it on the table from last night's work. I annoyingly threw the covers off and stumbled to the table, looked at the caller ID and became irritated. What was it with my colleagues and early morning calls? For God's sake it was 4am! "What is it, Daniel?", I bellowed into the phone, and in a sob, he said "Michael is dead."

Michael was a workaholic. Maybe it was a good thing that he put in so much into his job, but to me, he didn't have a life. He was the first at the office every morning , and the last to leave, and all that shit, you get the picture right? He never took a leave of absence, and even found reasons to be at the office on holidays. I'll never understand how a 30yr old could live like that.

I'd been trying so hard to blink back the tears, as I sat at the far end of the room and watched the ongoing service. then another hymn began, I couldn't really hear the wordings of the song, because even as I sat through the candlelight service, I was far away in my thoughts. I was able to make out the solo of the hymn "only remembered by what we have done", and then the tears streamed down my face. Was he going to be remembered for giving his life for the job? The one which a vacancy for his position was put up the day he died? Sure, they'll remember him today and on the day of the funeral, and after that everything goes back to normal, like no one left. No job is worth dying for, you really will be replaced in a heartbeat.

Farther down memory lane, I remembered that I'd been like him. Working myself to stupor, day after day, getting home late at night, for a job that I didn't even love. That was until my friend introduced steemit to me, and I discovered that life didn't have to be a tug of war after all. I could do what I love an earn money for it, and at no cost. I now have the time for my family and friends, the time spent with them is invaluable. And more importantly, I have time for myself, all that wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't given up some of my responsibilities at the office, and focused on living my life. It's safe to say that steemit is the best thing that has happened to me in a really long time.

"Can I light your candle? " the guy next to me asked, and brought me back from somewhere inside my head. He lit the candle in my hand with his, and I looked up, teary eyed. The procession had started, and my row was next in line. As everyone held lit candles and sang, it looked sadly beautiful. I wondered if Michael thought so too, I could still hear his voice in my head from the last time we spoke. "How are you doing, Mickey?" I'd asked, "overworked and underloved" he'd replied. I think now, that those might have been the truest words he'd spoken in his last days.