There’s a sense of being “up” 24 hours/day, every day, because either I’m awake on this trip (in Southern Africa) or the shop’s open/my kids are awake back home. There is, simply, zero downtime, no overlap in rest/sleep between here and back home. I think that actually does add a tangible slight feeling of anxiousness during the night, knowing that the business and those close to you are going through whatever they’re going through while you’re trying to sleep.

This trip is winding down; presently we’re on an overnight train from Johannesburg to Cape Town, arriving in just over an hour. No plans for this evening, but likely none needed as we’re staying in the “touristy” part of town on the waterfront. Tomorrow and the next day (don’t ask me which days those are) will be for seeing Robben Island (where Mandela was held prisoner for 18 years), Penguins, the Cape of Good Hope (where the Atlantic & Indian Oceans meet) and of course Table Mountain. More soon- –Mike