Monday, July 15, 2013

Living Like A Vampire

It's been a good long while since I've posted.  And, yes, I'm up at 2:45 a.m. writing, and not necessarily because it's when I do my best writing.  My explanation is simply that I have been working nights around the corner from my home for the past three months, and I have been trying to adjust to sleeping during the day and being up all night, even on my days off.  While this would seem to be a perfect scenario on weekends for a person who likes to sew at night while it's quiet and no interruptions, the problem I am encountering is that I find myself having to recuperate after a full week of very physical work. So to avoid sewing mistakes, I have been avoiding sewing when extremely tired.  I believe I now know what it's like to be vampire.  You see, while the majority of the population is up and about during daylight hours, I'm sleeping (or trying to) in my dark bedroom--blinds closed--preparing myself for another eight hours of lifting and carrying heavy boxes and standing on my feet.  Additionally, to sustain an adequate energy level, I've taken to drinking low fat fruit smoothies (Oh, blood that is. LOL), taking vitamins, and eating as nutritiously as possible, which is a good thing.  However, I still have to play mental games with myself to continue with this crazy idea of mine.  At the time I decided to do this, I thought that this job would be perfect because I would be more physically active and would still be able to teach sewing without changing my students' schedules, and quilt for customers and myself.  In other words, I would be able to continue to do what I enjoy--among other reasons.  Well reality is that this is only slightly true.  I still teach sewing but have had to change schedules here and there, and I am currently making a quilt for a customer--yeah!  I do have to admit, however, that my energy level is not the same and I haven't been sewing for myself.  I also find that during the evening hours, it's all about squeezing in laundry, cooking dinner, and resting before going to work.  I am living like a vampire!  A vampire who sews, cooks and cleans, and works nights.  What was I thinking?  I have always had a great amount of respect for all the healthcare professionals and other working professionals that work through the night--those that ultimately make life easier for the rest of the population during the day--but my respect has been taken to a higher level. To the vampires who started their careers working nights and have been doing it all or most of their working careers--you truly have "eternal life" in my book.  I'm not so sure I will.  Oh well, the sun will be rising shortly, so it's time to start thinking about sleep.

I'll be posting the quilt I'm working on in a couple of weeks but hopefully I'll be back to chat sooner than that!  Good night, or day?!?!


2 comments:

  1. What in heaven's name are you doing working nights??!!??! Don't you know that goes against everything our our old bodies have been trained to tolerate??!?!?! :-) I don't know how you do it. After all these years, I STILL have a hard time adjusting to going to bed at 10:30 or 11 at night when I was so used to hittin' the hay by around 9:30 or so! I don't know WHAT I would do if my night was just getting started around that time!!!! So hats of to you, dear one!!!!!!

    PLEASE be very careful with all that heavy lifting. I am scheduled now for my first shoulder surgery on July 26 to repair a completely torn rotator cuff. The other shoulder will come later, and then the herniated discs in my back. I tore my little body up somethin' awful with all that lifting and pushing and pulling...and now I'm paying the painful consequences. I don't want you to end up like me...looking like an old lady before her time!

    I'm glad you are still able to do at least SOME of the things you enjoy. Hang in there, girl! Oh...did you hear that Paul Gonzalez (class of '76) passed away last week? His services were Friday & Saturday. I wasn't able to attend.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the thoughtful comments. I'm doing it and determined to take care of myself while doing so.

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