Over the past few months, I’ve made a concerted effort to get more sleep. Up until that time, I got up early, stayed up late, and then wondered routinely why I was so tired. I was dragging around to the point that my children staged a mini-intervention and confronted me on my tendency to push myself too hard. The truth is I didn’t think of it as pushing myself, I just had a lot to do, and since I often saw students in the evening, my days just naturally went long. But I was aware that I was too tired. So, with the help of my kids and Ray, I have been changing my routine so that I get more sleep.

I am learning that taking a nap or going to bed earlier can truly enhance my daily life. If I’m going to work late, then I try to sleep an hour or so in the afternoon, and I’m doing my best to establish an earlier bedtime so I get a full eight hours of sleep and awake refreshed. This is not some unique or special discovery. I’m just learning how to implement something many people have been doing naturally all of their lives. Apparently, I’ve been slow on the uptake in the sleep department.

But the good news is that I am now sleeping much longer and also more deeply. I dream more and feel much better overall. So, getting more sleep definitely makes me happy and I can see how it makes the people around me happier too since I can actually locate my sense of humor when I’m rested.

On that note, I’ll say good night. My bed is beckoning.