Sleep-
Ok, waking and actually GETTING up for my work week involves small, tiny miracles each and every morning. My clock radio goes off on the first of two alarms and there's just enough energy to energize one arm and four and a half brain cells to reach over and find the shut-off button. This is my first of many phases of getting myself vertical. Second clock radio alarm goes off 15 minutes later which I swear every morning is more like 15 seconds from the first one. Maybe, just maybe another couple of brain cells awaken. Hey at least there's progress...
Slap the crap outta the second alarm to silence it from it's evil blaring and turn back over to what is a straight, free-fall into Dreamland again where my hand is stamped for unlimited free returns to the park. After seeing the Cowboys go undefeated in 2018, my third alarm goes off, this time from my phone. I happily hit that fat snooze button on the screen and go tortoise-style back under the covers. Now, at this point I am awake from the neck up but every other member of my body has tossed in their club card and decided teamwork is overrated.
Snooze goes off again and again, each time with a less jarring effect as we are now approaching snooze-smackin' number 15. Gone are the days in the military where I jumped out of bed, threw on my BDUs and was downstairs under the overhang in under 3 minutes. Noooo...now I have to set my alarm two hours before so that I can awaken the dead and go through a ritualistic pep-rally to reward my body for doing the impossible. The only thing that works each time is promising a few quarts of caffeine in my bloodstream. And like a shady deal in the darkest of alleys, my body and I come to an agreement. I finally get up and a miracle has taken place.
You thought that was my complaint, right? Oh definitely not! Like that experience was bad enough, the real problem lies in the days I have OFF. After trudging through an exasperating battle of wits throughout the week with my tired self, I joyfully go to bed and look over at my phone and point and laugh at them both at their temporary loss of control over my life. Better yet, I shut my phone off instead of mute and unplug the umbilical from the wall and my clock radio closes it's eyes with what I wish was permanent. Off to sleep I go.
"This is going to be so good to sleep til noon if I want to!" I say to myself in a Cheshire grin in the dark. Slumber ensues. But NO NO NO NO NO....5 freakin AM and WHAM! my brain wakes up and decides IT wants to get up. WTHeck? This happens EVERY DAY OFF I HAVE. My brain is like a giant St Bernard licking me in the face wanting to get up and go on some adventure. My body screams out, "Are you kidding me, leave me alone!" So now I'm lying there, exhausted that I can't fall asleep and melted into the bed with only my eyeballs still showing. My brain knocks on my door again saying,"Hey Bud, it's your day off, don't waste it." At this point I throw up a No Soliciting sign and try to get back into Dreamland but realize my hand stamp has disappeared. I finally give in to my brain and get up realizing I could have slept another 3-4 hours.