Tag Archives: sleep

Daylight

I put daylight as the second photo prompt of #MusWidNov2015 because we just “fell back.” With this change, if you’re a night owl like me, your chances to see any daylight are slim these days.

With this photo prompt, I’ve had the Rascal Flatts song, “Prayin’ For Daylight” in my head all day.

I’ve gotten better about it, but when I first got married and moved to Nashville, I found myself waiting for daylight to go to bed. All alone for days at a time, while my husband was out on the road touring, I found a level of safety to sunlight. I didn’t mind (much) the noises of our apartment complex, letting any hammering, mowing, or traffic lull me to sleep as soon as the first rays of sunlight streaked across the sky. I felt safer knowing there were others stirring in the area. I didn’t feel as vulnerable.

I’ve remained on night watch through the years. In every house we’ve lived, I’ve learned the neighborhood’s patterns. I became the unknown security watch, peeking out my windows any time I heard something that seemed out of place. I felt this self-imposed responsibility to my neighbors to keep watch out for them, so they could sleep peacefully all night long.

Today, I’ve become more comfortable, I suppose. I love trying to get to before sunrise, letting the darkness of night wrap around me, and lull me to sleep.

Every day, though, I get up and go straight to the kitchen. Before I even make coffee, I open all the blinds and let the daylight stream in at me. Sunny days. Rainy days. Good days. Bad days. For the entire day, or for less than an hour. It doesn’t matter. I open the blinds and let the light stream in. Then I make coffee. Daylight + coffee is my formula for starting every day right.

Do you need sunshine for a good day? Or does it matter? Maybe you’re a rain lover and find joy in that? Tell me.

I remember being on a black-and-white set all day and then going out into daylight and being amazed by the color.

Jeff Bridges

Five on Friday: Sleep thoughts

One of my New Years Goals was to journal daily, and I’ve successfully been doing that! I use the LiveJournal platform where I actually have a permanent account. Back in the early 2000s, I jumped on an offer for a permanent account, and I’ve NEVER regretted that purchase.

As part of going back to journaling, I’ve been reintroduced to some groups on there that I’ve missed. One of which is the Friday Five.  I thought for giggles, I’d play along this week right here on Musician’s Widow…

1. How many hours of sleep do you like to get in a night?

I always prefer to get 8 hours when possible. I’ve lately been getting between 6 or 7. In college I could function days on end with only 4 hours of sleep a night. Today? I can do that maybe one night and then that’s it. I need to catch up.

2. How many hours of sleep can you survive on indefinitely?

Five or six. I guess.

3. Do you enjoy napping?

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4. The average amount of time it takes a person to fall asleep is seven minutes–do you tend to need more or less time than that?

More time for sure. I have to be absolutely 100% exhausted to fall asleep fast.
5. If you were offered a pill that would enable you to sleep only two hours out of every twenty-four and remain fully functional, but you could never sleep more than that, would you take it?

I would heavily consider it, but I am sure I’d turn it down. Sleep is a time to rejuvenate and reset. Sleep is a time to calm yourself. I think only two hours of sleep would not be enough to do that properly.