Who Knows the Path from Sleeplessness to Slumber?

A couple of years ago, I started waking up every night in the wee hours of the morning, my body screaming with pain. My mind was not fully awake, but my brain heard the command, “Move it! Move it! Move it!” from a voice that sounds likes burly Army Drill Sergeant. My old bones woke me again!

I tumble out from under the blankets and stumble into the bathroom. I open the medicine cabinet, take a couple of Advil, and use the facilities as long as I made the trip. But by now, my stupor lifts, and I find myself wide awake. If I go back to bed, I’ll disturb Ken because I know I’ll toss and turn for at least a couple of hours before sleep finds me again.

Instead, I toddle out to the living room sofa and make myself comfortable with several pillows and an old comforter. Ernie joins me and the two of us settle in to watch some obscure program on the History2 or Science channel hoping a monotone narrator will send me off to slumber land again.

After I shared this nightly sleep interruption with a few of my girlfriends, I learned I’m not alone. Lots of them are awake at 2:00 a.m., too. Curious. Maybe we should start a two o’clock club and meet at the bakery.

Recently bought a new sofa, and because I spend so much time laying on the old one, I had to make sure the new piece of furniture was not only comfortable, but it also had to fulfill other specific criteria, too. First, it had to have removable pillows, so it would be wide enough for Ernie to lay beside me because every night he faithfully follows me and settles in beside me. Second, it needed to be supportive. and finally, the fabric had to take the abuse of Ernie’s sharp toenails. Hey, wait a minute! It looks like I picked out the new sofa as much for Ernie as I did for me!

Ernie on the Couch

I don’t see this pattern changing any time soon, so every night I try a different pillow configuration until I get my comfort level on the new couch as high as it was on the old one. The best part of this sleeplessness is enjoying the soft light of the indoor Christmas lights. Yes, I keep vigil by the lights of the season. It almost makes waking up worth it.