On this Thanksgiving morning, I rolled out of bed after tossing and turning most of the night. The clock showed 6:10 when I finally rose, even though I’d seen every hour of the night before flashing on the dial.
Maybe I was too excited about the day and going to Cookeville to eat and spend time with Amy’s uncles and aunts and my kids and grandson. Maybe I was looking forward to having my wife back home. She’d spent the previous four days in Nashville. I envied her time with Madden, Lacey, and Nick, but circumstances dictated that I stay home. I hope Amy is as glad to see me, although I doubt she missed me much. She fairs better by herself than I do.
At any rate, I stumbled to the kitchen to make coffee and then sat down in my chair and stared at the computer screen that was already running. After checking email, I clicked into Facebook to see what folks had posted and even wrote a couple of lines. Then I noticed the times under folks’ posts. Some had typed things three hours ago and some four.
What the heck is going on? If people posted then, that means they were up and stirring at 3:00 a.m. or earlier. What are they doing up that early? Yes, it’s possible that they’ve not been in bed yet, which brings on another set of questions.
I used to be a night owl, but only on special occasions did I ever hang around until that early in the morning, or late at night, depending on how you look at it. Even in my twenties, staying up that long was difficult since I’d lost so much sleep during college years as I pulled all-nighters studying for exams. Something in my being just doesn’t allow my body to function or my eyes to focus that late.
On the other hand, what makes people get out of bed that early? I know some have to baste that turkey or begin preparing the Thanksgiving feast. I also remember those years when little ones cried out and awakened parents with demands for bottles or clean diapers. And, yes, some folks work night shifts and have their days turned upside down.
But what about all these others? I hope they aren’t affected by insomnia that robs them of sleep every night. Maybe some are so wrapped up in their careers that they have to hit the floor early to maintain an edge on competitors. What I hope is that none are in the throes of bad times that keep them worried and awake.
The only time any of us might be up in the middle of the night is Christmas. Children struggle to sleep the night before because they’re ramped up with excitement over the arrival of Santa Claus. They might slip into unconsciousness for a couple of hours, but somewhere around 4-5 a.m., they’ll wake up, run to the tree, and squeal with excitement over the presents under trees.
Parents will stay up into the wee hours of the night as they read instructions for toys that must be assembled. They’ll stress over not having all the pieces or having to find batteries in the middle of the night for toys that must operate in the morning. Exhausted, they’ll collapse in bed, but just as they doze off, bedroom doors will burst open, and begging voices will urge them to get up and see what Santa left.
No, I didn’t sleep well last night. I’ll make up for it sometime today. Somewhere there’s a couch that calls me to nap this afternoon. For those of you who are up early every morning/night, consider some medication or career changes. If you have little ones, you’re stuck, and I feel your pain. By the way, Happy Thanksgiving!
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