Ever since I was a toddler my mother remembers me waking up early, not 8AM early but 5:30AM early. I would walk into my mother's bedroom, put my little hands on either side of her face and say, "P-cakes mommy, p-cakes." My mother says this went on for a number of years, although she encouraged me to wake up later it never happened. At sleepovers this was a curse, while others slept in I was wide awake by 6AM, bored and staring at everyone else, trying desperately to be quiet.
It wasn't until I was in college that I learned to take a nap in the afternoon and also learned the pleasures of sleeping late in the morning, mostly due to alcohol. Still, at that age I could stay up late to party and wake up early to go to work or class without too much damage. Sometimes I went to class, worked one table waiting job, then worked a second midnight table waiting job and went to sleep at sunrise only to do it all again in the morning. I didn't have much except my time and a talent at waiting tables to earn money for school or life, so that's what I did.
This is not the case today, I'm 34, and I can't get up. Something happened when my children were born, a gatekeeper was awoken and that gatekeeper of my somnolence says, "sister, you are tired, you cannot wake up this early, turn back over and go back to sleep." Prior to my children's birth I got up at 5 every morning to lift weights or do cardio. I simply cannot wake up anymore. It's not that I occasionally sleep in until 6:30, it seems to be a strong bodily need that keeps me from waking up before 6, ever. I have set my clock for 5AM many times to go to the gym or run and I always sleep past it's noisy clang. Even my Saturday morning running group that leaves at 6 or 7 is a struggle, at least it helps that I know a group is waiting for me, if it wasn't for that I'd probably ignore that alarm too.
To top it all off I am a a night owl, I love the late hours, past 11, when the house is quiet and it's just me and the hum of a quiet computer, good book or Tivo'ed show that UberGeek doesn't care for. Nip Tuck or Real Housewives of New York City, mmmmm, guilty pleasures. It used to be that I could stay up however late I wanted and still wake up early, by 6 at the latest. Not anymore, now I know I will pay for my night owl ways.
When I go for my primary care appointments I am assessed for changes in eating and sleeping habits. They ask about being overly tired in one of their standard questionnaires, something about having trouble waking. I fill it out honestly and it always makes them ask me the follow up question to make sure I don't have some sort of serious disease making me tired. Then I explain that I have 4 year old twins, a full time job, I teach part time and I run long distance races on a regular basis. They drop the line of questioining pretty quickly after a quick check of the thyroid levels and other bloodwork. Apparently my exhaustion makes perfect sense.
On Sundays, before church, UberGeek allows me to sleep in until 8, which is very late in our world. It is an unbelievable luxury that I am so grateful for. Somehow it fills my reservoir enough to make it through another week. I so hope he continues to allow it for the foreseeable future!
I had an early morning coffee meeting today and I needed to be up fairly early. As usual, I was exhausted, buried in the comforter, praying for mercy from the alarm clock. UberGeek had already allowed me "second shower" rights which gave me ten extra minutes to sleep. I was snoozing away when I heard a loud and startling clanging sound. I crawled out of the bed and slunk to the living room to see what the commotion was. The kiddos had taken it upon themselves to start a two person band with only their triangles as instruments. Finally, an alarm that works for me!
