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?
Can't even come close to competing with your amazingly creative list of nighttime brain ticklers. Those would keep me awake for sure!!
ReplyDeleteI take the other approach: attempt to think of nothing. I concentrate on my slow breathing, Larry's nighttime vocalizations (no, he's not loud!), a favorite piece of music ... but more often than not it does no good and I sink back into ruminating on Problems that need to be sorted out. And I end up staying awake for hours on end. Occasionally I will come up with a brilliant haiku which I never write down. Those are the best.
just a test
ReplyDeletewell jennifer i have tried and tried to leave messages on your blog and susie's, never works. but now the test thing seemed to work.mom
ReplyDelete