Even before the COVD-19 pandemic, I rolled out of bed somewhere between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m. Now, on what I call a ‘good day,’ I wake up consistently around 3:00 a.m., give or take ten minutes. No alarm clock. I’ve never needed one. Perhaps because I’ve been dealing with insomnia for most of my adult life. It’s during the quiet of those early morning hours when I am able to focus, uninterrupted, on my creativity. Getting up that early makes for long days. But with my fiftieth birthday on the horizon, I’m thinking more about how I spend my time. And, more specifically, I’m thinking about how to ensure I am getting enough rest.
An Example Not to Follow
I’ve never been good at rest/relaxation. Whenever I’ve travelled, spending a day at the beach was never high on my to-do list. If you wanted to leave the resort and explore the nearby towns and villages, I was in. (Getting lost in a foreign country at night, where I didn’t speak the language, was a little scary!) As a flight attendant, I often worked the overnight flights to London, Copenhagen, Dublin or Paris. Unlike most of my colleagues, I never went straight to bed. I showered, changed, and headed to a museum or for a run—dodging the curious looks the hotel staff threw at me as I crossed the lobby. And a lot of times, when I use my vacation days (like I will this week), I’m taking time off to write and move my creative projects forward. [Read more…] about A Call to Rest
