Sunday, April 18, 2004

Less Sleep = Greater Existence

I'm up bright and early before the crackodawn (another great dinosaur that once roamed the Earth) after a night spent alternating between freezing to death one minute and feeling as if I were going to melt into a puddle of heated humanity the next.  Ah, the mystique of menopause!  So far, it's not so bad but that hot flash/cold chill thing does a bang-up job of disrupting what was once a good night's sleep.

Actually, early awakening is not completely foreign to me.  For years, I've had to wake up early to go to work.  My inner clock is primed and set to go off very early every day.  It used to be that on my days off, I would be happy to stay in bed for as long as possible.  It didn't matter if I were sleeping or not; just to snuggle down in the warmth and comfort of the blankets, drifting in and out of sleep was a favorite pastime.  Something strange happened to me once I turned 50, however.  I found I didn't need the nine or so hours of sleep which I steadfastly maintained for years was crucial to my well-being.

Turning 50 was a wake-up call for me.  I saw myself in the glass of life and that glass was most definitely no longer half full!  I discovered I didn't want to loll in bed and waste time from a day off from work lest, of course, there was good reason to tarry a bit longer (wink!).  I realize these may seem like ponderous thoughts at the mere age of 50 but I'm already feeling the weeks, months and years zipping by with terrifying speed. 

Time has become a most precious commodity and I have a compelling desire to make the most of what's left for me.

Note to entry:  When I began typing this, it really was bright and early.  4:30 AM to be exact.  Before I could finish this entry, I was bumped off the page twice and had to start all over.  Good thing for me my short-term memory's still intact! LOL

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I feel your pain with the hot-flash thing.  It makes me so grumpy...I HATE having my sleep interrupted, and when I'm in hot-flash mode, I wake up just about every hour on the hour, all night.  Sucks!  Lisa  :-]

Anonymous said...

Lisa!  How wonderful to read a comment from you on my fledgling journal.  I love your journal and have been following it for some time.  Best of luck on your newest endeavor!

Anonymous said...

Enjoy your 50's. My 40's and 50's were some of the best years of my life. Seems when I turned 60 things started going down hill. Just discovered your journal and like it. Paula