Since my last list of "Things I like/dislike" focused exclusively on the "dislike" end of the spectrum, I was anxious to come out with a second list, of a more optimistic bent.
But
when I added the fifth item to my slowly growing tally, I realized it
was such a like-worthy topic, it really warranted a whole post of its
own. What's that topic? Well, if you read the title, you already know,
but it's sleep.
Sleep
is an underrated thing. While I have met a few high-schoolers (during
my student-teaching days) who proudly listed sleep as one, if not their
single most, favorite thing to do, I think that was more reflective of
teenage angst (and disrupted circadian rhythms) than the values of the
general public. Most adults who issue an opinion on the subject seem to
think that sleep is nothing more than a nuisance.
I used to be one of them. As little as 5 years ago, I was bemoaning the 8.5 hours per night
I had to spend sleeping, wondering what great things I could accomplish
if I weren't wasting 1/3 of my day, every day, for the rest of my life.
Except
that sleep is not, in fact, a waste. It is, by all scientific accounts,
vital to health and happiness. Among the good things I've heard about a
solid night of shuteye: It helps you form memories, it helps you repair
your cells, it helps you maintain a healthy weight.
Over
the years, I have come to accept my excessive sleep requirements—which
is good, because in those 5 years, they've risen to around 10 hours a
night. (Or maybe that's my body just trying desperately to catch up,
because since we acquired two puppies in the course of 5 months, I
haven't been able to get in a single night of uninterrupted rest!)
 |
| Who can sleep while this is constantly going on in their bed!? |
I
have finally changed into the angsty teenager I never was in my past
(back then, one of my favorite things to do on the weekends was wake up
at sunrise before everyone else, and tackle my day!)—now, sleep is
definitely one, if not my single most, favorite thing for me to do. But
the other thing that's changed, is I no longer feel bad about it!
I
used to moon over the thought of what I could accomplish with one extra
hour a day, but now I know the truth: the world is an overwhelming
place, and I couldn't handle another hour of it anyway. What would I do
with my extra hour? Probably spend it shopping online, brainlessly
watching Netflix, or wandering aimlessly to the fridge again, hoping
that this time there might be something tempting inside. Ha! Better to
spend that hour in my bed, refreshing my mind and body for another run
down the gauntlet tomorrow.
Sleep,
I now know, is not the enemy, but a rare gift of from nature, a
precious ambrosia, a medicine, and a refuge, and I mean to appreciate it
rather than curse it! There is nothing quite like that slow divestment
from daily concerns as you drift off into dreamland. There is no more
peaceful feeling than that moment when you awake, conscious of nothing
more than soft pillows and blankets around you, before the demands of
reality set in. When else in life can something feel this good and still
be good for you? Never!
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