The only times I can remember not being struck with the 3am no-sleeps was when I was pregnant with Chris and when I got up every morning at 3am anyway to deliver 400 Santa Barbara New Press papers. So what do I do to while away the hours? I refuse to get up, because one thing I know is that I have no chance of falling back to sleep if I get up. I go through different stages of night time entertainment. Sometimes I sing Eeny Meeney Disaleeney Ooh Ah Ah Meleaney while I keep rhythm with my fingers and I try to keep track of which finger I stop on when the song is finished. I am not making this up, I have spent many many hours in this activity. Or I make up rhymes which do not have to make any sense, just have a nice rhythm and satisfying rhymes. Quickly and without thinking, like a jump rope rhyme, for instance:
My mother said to go to bed
And so I grabbed a dragon head
It bit me on the big fat knee
And so I put it in a tree...
Or I write stories. Last night I rewrote Little Red Riding Hood, as a chapter book, in my head.
I play a kind of scattergories games where I pick a category and try to think of an example for each letter of the alphabet.
I relive favorite days, or vacation itineries.
What do you do?
