Sunday, September 20, 2009

Another early morning...


I got up so early, that it was almost yesterday. That is because I fell asleep on the sofa last night while watching television, and dragging myself to bed at 11 pm, after I had taken my medicines, and going straight to sleep without even turning the light on to read my book. I'd say I got a lot of sleep and when I woke up in the middle of the night, there was no doubt about getting up and making a cup of coffee.

Needless to say, I didn't work on a collage, because after I had showered and eaten dinner, I just didn't have the energy or inspiration to start one. I slept instead on my weekend sleep schedule that's always out of synchronization with the rest of the week. That's the joy of living alone, that you can decide your own hours to be awake and to be active in, without bothering anyone else. The sound of me tapping on the keyboard used to wake the Exfactor up and I know it bothered him tremendously. Maybe as much as his snoring bothered me.

It's really funny how a person can be awake at the most unusual hours and perform as if it is the middle of the day and have her complete brain function without any problem. You would assume that there would be a sort of jet lag effect, but nothing could be further from the truth. When I wake up in the middle of the night, it only takes me a little while to get my wits about me and to be as sharp as a tack. I can easily do a number of tasks well and probably sit for exams as well, as if it was any time during the day. Providing I had studied for them.

I don't think there is much difference in my mood during the morning or the nighttime, but I am more awake and aware in the morning, or I should say, whenever I just get up. I'm usually full of excitement to start the day and I wonder what it will bring and it doesn't have to be anything big, but at night I am ready to start winding down and I get sleepy and tired and I don't want to start any big projects that require a lot of my attention, unless it is a weekend night and I stay up longer than usual.

I'm not grumpy at any time of the day so I am not specifically a morning or an evening person. I guess when it comes down to it, you could say that I'm a middle of the night person, or a wee hours of the morning person. That's when I'm happiest. I like being up when the rest of the world is still asleep, or so I imagine, and I don't hear anything outside yet. I like the darkness all around me that's only punctuated by the few lights that I have on, specifically the desk lamp that points at the keyboard. I feel like I'm in my own little world and that I'm the only person in it and I only share it with the dog and the cats occasionally.

I suppose I like being at the center of my own universe, where I feel safe and solitary and where complications seem very far away and other people's influence can not be felt. I feel invincible and cocooned inside a well lighted cave, where no other creatures live but those that I invite. It's dry and warm in there and I suppose I'm like a bear waking up from her winter sleep. Alert and aware, but safe and sound.

I don't like other people's complications in my life and I keep them at bay as much as possible. That is, when I became aware of this dislike. I used to be a good Samaritan and wanted to help out everybody, but somewhere along the line I learned a lesson not to do that and to not unnecessarily complicate my own life with the problems of other people. I am a good listener and a good advice giver and I do that often and freely, but I do keep my distance and don't pull other people deeply into my life with the idea that I'm going to rescue them from their fate. My help and involvement always end at my doorstep. Of course, in being a good Samaritan there was also a question of pride involved, to assume I knew better and had all the solutions, while I had the biggest mess in my own hands that I was blind to.

You often see that with people who over involve themselves with the lives of other people. Very often they have a mess on their own hands that they can't solve or are even consciously aware of and go around fixing other people's lives. Very often they project their own problems onto the other person and in reality try to solve their own problems through solving the other person's problems, but they are unaware of this.

Anyway, I sit here and let my mind wander from one random thought to the next and see where it will take me. It's almost like creative writing and I take the words as they come and hardly change them. Just like I do when I write for one of my writer's websites. It's a stream of consciousness writing, but the person who talks is the adult me, who is the one who creates. Which means it's not unabashed writing, but writing with a certain amount of control and inhibition, because writing without inhibition would be spilling the beans and I don't know if I'm up to that, although you may think I've spilled the beans already.

It's one thing to appear open and honest with your words, it's another to conceal all the things that you also could have said, but didn't for the sake of propriety. There are always lots of things left unsaid, that we will only say when we are mean old ladies who no longer worry about what impression we will make and who's feelings we are going to hurt. When flattery is an alien concept to us. My intention is to become such a mean old lady and I hope I make it.

Well, those are enough thoughts for today. I don't want to overwhelm you. I could go on and on, but to what purpose when you have zoned out?

I hope you'll all have a lovely day with sunshine on top of it. As an added extra.

Ciao,
Nora

6 comments:

Breakfast in California said...

Interesting post. The photo looks like the pig races at the Fair.

Maggie May said...

If I wake up in the middle of the night, I make myself lie still & relax listening to the radio. I find that is the best way to avoid a regular pattern of waking & having to get up! Usually I do get back to sleep for an hour or so.
I think the *mean old lady* thing is not for me. LOVE conquers everything...... so I hope that will get me through my old age.

I went to a real pig race once....... not a posh one like the photo, but a small event at a farm. Children picked out their favourite & ran in front of them with a bucket of nibbles! Was good fun!

Have a good day, Nora. X

Gail said...

I could never Zone out reading your writing.

Pigs, again. Could there be a hidden desire to ride one in a parade?

Friend of the Bear said...

Hi Nora. What cute little piggies!

When I wake up early after 3 or 4 hours sleep I try to get myself to stay in bed so I get enough rest but sometimes it doesn't work and I have to get up. Usually it is because I am worried or stressed about something that I can't get back to sleep. I find it very annoying. Because then I not only have the stress but exhaustion as well.

I know what you mean about being awake when everyone else is asleep. I prefer that too. I am much calmer in the wee small hours as well so that helps.

Re saving other people - I used to do that myself to distract myself from my own problems. The main person I looked after was The Bear and it was very hard work! In the end I decided that I needed to spend that energy on helping me rather than other people.

Lol about "spilling the beans"!

Not at all sure I will make it to be an old lady. But if I do I'd like to be a nice old lady!

Best wishes,
Bearfriend xx

aims said...

I've often wished that I could wake in the middle of the night and go and write. I think I would get my book finished if I did.

My problem is - I do wake often in the night - running to the bathroom - and it leaves me exhausted during the day. Then when night comes the cycle starts once again. I never seem to get the sleep I need so that I could actually wake in the night and write.

Patricia said...

interesting reading...love the pictures you choose to head your writings. I usually have to get up when I wake up in the middle because I start thinking of everything I did wrong in life...