Not Exactly Sleep Walking

Sleep is a precious thing. Long ago I tied a good night’s sleep to a healthier life. Getting enough sleep not only gives me fewer hours in the day to eat, but also I tend to make better choices if I have had enough sleep. But knowing that sleep is important and staying asleep are not connected. In fact, I sometimes think they are diabolically opposed to each other.

Take this morning for example. Russ is in California. I heard something outside my house at 4:30 in the morning that was loud enough to wake me up.   I am not a skittish person. Normally it takes a lot to scare me. Since I was awake at 4:30 I did what any middle aged woman would do, get up and use the bathroom. I lay back down in bed so I could go back to sleep, another loud noise.

Now my mind started running through all the possibilities, a tree branch, ten acorns falling in unison, a pair of randy squirrels, an intruder, a masked man, a robber with a gun, an Isis battalion. I was full on awake. I reached above my head to flip on the Stalag 13 type outdoor lights that encircle our house. They are so powerful the circuit breaker that supplies current to them makes a loud humming sound that can be heard from the garage throughout the house.

I peered out my bedroom window to see if I could catch a glimpse of the would be assassins running from my yard. Of course I only saw large branches swaying in the wind. Weather, boy is it loud.

I released the switch that lit the neighborhood and the house was plunged back into darkness. It was still just 4:45, plenty of time to fall back asleep and get some meaningful shuteye before the seven AM bell rang.

BAM! I was up. Why bother trying to go back to sleep when I was in a much better state to protect my home up and ready to tackle anything. I decided that since I had such a busy day and even busier week ahead of me I best should get as many steps in on the treadmill as I could before it was time to take Carter to school.

Amazingly I think my walking is much more productive at this ridiculously early hour than it is when I am tired from a full day. I logged over 12,000 steps before I ever took one step outside my front door. I got nine miles in two hours before lunch. I am on my way to a 30,000-step day.

Yes, I am exhausted. Yes, I am really looking forward to my bed tonight. No, I can’t go there until after my Mah Jongg class ends at 10 PM. I still have no idea what the noise was that woke me. Perhaps it was a higher power pushing me to do what was good for me. But wait, I thought sleep was good for me.