BREAKING: Local Man Discovers Passion Is Inextricably Linked to Mental Burnout

only the second time in two months I've hit the wall at mile 20

If you are old enough to know of the name Bill Engvall, you are likely aware of the phrase “here’s your sign.” I am not sure that I particularly find it that ground-breaking, but hey, the guy knows the hits.

I know of the name Bill Engvall because

1. I am from the South;

2. And I was alive and conscious for the entirety of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, which slayed every house I went into in middle Tennessee in 2004. Even my grandfather loved it.

But I have been thinking about Bill Engvall because I saw a billboard in Nashville back in the spring for Bill Engvall’s final tour, which is very appropriately titled given his comedy.

And, well, I am no longer stupid enough it ignore that here is my sign, it is finally time.

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What this is is an announcement that there will be no Tennessee game preview this weekend, the first one I’ve willingly opted out of writing since I started doing this in 2018. It is an important game between Tennessee - still a top-six team, still on track for a 2 seed or so in March - versus Missouri, who scores a lot of points and hopefully will make some March noise as an 8 seed. It is a game I am personally looking forward to watching.

It is also a game that I cannot stand the thought of writing a preview for. I’ve felt this way for two weeks now. I did not want to write previews for any of the Vanderbilt, Auburn, Florida, or even Texas games. To be honest, since I went to see my grandmother and realized how much more fun she was having watching Tennessee/LSU than I have in a while, I have realized it is time. I’ve got to take a break before I fully, completely burn myself out on this project as a whole, but specifically on the Tennessee-focused portion of it. I haven’t had genuine fun watching a game in weeks, and it is an annoying (not catastrophic, mind you) feeling that I’m trying to snap out of.

So: the practical breakdown is simple. I am not writing a 2,000-word preview for this game. I am not writing a 2,000-word recap of this week on Monday. I will likely write about something else in the meantime - I would advise you to sign up for the Field of 68 newsletter if you have not already, hint hint - but I simply need some time off from forcing myself to write about Tennessee when I would like to enjoy the Tennessee games again.

I probably should add here that this really isn’t influenced by their recent run of results. For three straight seasons, at basically this exact point in the calendar, I start to realize how much of myself I’ve poured into writing and editing and keeping up and Twittering and how much more time there is to go in the season. Instead of forcing myself to trudge through it this year, it’s finally time to take some time.

See you on Saturday if you’re a Field of 68 subscriber. See you on Monday for a post about all 32 conferences. See you on Wednesday if you’re a Tennessee reader, and I apologize for the inconvenience. Simply put, I’ve got to respect the sign when it’s shoved in my face. Hopefully, you will too. Back at it soon enough.

Chiefs 30-27 by the way. I don’t really take pleasure in reporting it as I am rooting for the birds.