If you have read any of our backstories, you will know that I used to drive a tractor trailer in and out of Toronto every day. It was stressful and very unrewarding. There were a couple of drivers that I worked with there that came out west and worked in the oilpatch with me. Pete was one of them.
I just read that he died and asked a mutual friend what had happened. He said that he had overdosed on Fentanyl at a local beach. Apparently, he started getting into hard drugs last year and from the sound of it, most of the guys doing that work are into one substance or another.
I don't know what demons Pete was fighting, but I know that I felt myself changing into someone I didn't like when I was doing that job. Working under that kind of stress gets to you, and I'm very thankful that I was able to get out of there before something happened to me.
I probably wouldn't have got into drugs, but the daily pressure of dodging crazy drivers, accidents, and just plain stress of the job, in general, can come out in many different ways. Mine was usually anger, but because I internalize anger it would come out as depression.
Depression can lead to a lot of bad things.
As happy as I am about getting away from all of that, I feel a bit sick about Pete. He was a good guy, generous, and loved his family. He obviously had problems, but he was liked by most and had a lot of good qualities, so it seems a shame to me that he went out this way.
I guess it can happen to anyone, but I hope when I go out is feeding some animals in the sunshine, two days after Gerri, because we have a deal.
I hope you are all enjoying the spring weather, and most of all you're enjoying your lives.