My winter break is
over. That’s right, “winter break,”
because we’re all being prejudiced if we refer to it as Christmas break. I don’t care what it’s called, all I know is
that it’s over.
I have been pushing myself
for the last ten days to get through the holidays, to do errands, to work on
the house, to pack up Christmas, to clean out the basement. As usual, nothing is quite completed, and I
am left with a 75% chore completion rate.
The worst of it, though,
has been the changing of my sleeping habits.
Suddenly I’m seventeen again. I’m
staying out late, staying up late, and staying in bed late. I have not been to bed before 12:45 a.m. in
ten days. I’ve gotten up early a couple
of times, maybe 7:30-ish, but mostly I’ve been sleeping until 9:00 and then on
Sunday, 10:00.
Here’s what I know: Monday morning’s 5:15 a.m. wake-up call is
going to kick my ass.
If I know me, and I do,
here’s how it’s going to go. Sunday
night I’ll toss and turn, probably wake-up a half-dozen times, and I’ll be too
hot, too cold, too antsy, too uncomfortable, too stressed. I’ll manage to get up on time, maybe even get
out the door on time, and I’ll make it through the day cheerily, probably even
with a huge burst of energy because I really am anxious to see everybody at school. (Yes, even the kiddos.)
But then … Tuesday will
arrive, and I’ll start dragging, maybe even doze for a few seconds during my
planning period when I try to correct papers.
Wednesday will be a little worse.
I’ll try to be less on my feet and more on my butt in my chair while
attempting to lead a class lesson.
Thursday will find me hiding in the ladies room after lunch because
peeing means two things: I can sit still for a moment, and no one can bother me
in the stall. Friday is Wall Day – I’m
on autopilot all day and out cold on the couch by 7:30 p.m because my body has
reached its physical and mental (and sometimes emotional) limit.
So, come on, Monday, come
on and kick my ass. I’m ready. Kick my ass all week if you want. I don’t care.
You know why? Because Saturday I
can sleep late if I want to, and even Monday cannot stop me from looking
forward to that.
