It has been rumored that I stay up very late at night. It seems I will do anything to avoid getting ready for bed. I read, watch TV, start picking up at all hours, look at Facebook and spend the next day feeling tired.
Why do I do this? I don’t like getting ready for bed. It takes too long and yet if I miss a step, I suffer from good old-fashioned guilt. Makes no sense since I am the one that suffers the next day.
Sometimes, I will fall asleep on the couch. When my husband was alive, he would wake me up and send me to bed. After he passed, my dog would squeak and try to get me to bed. Now she’s tired of trying so she goes to bed without me. The problem with this strategy is that when I wake up (by whatever means), I still must go through the exercise of getting ready for bed.
This process always reminds me of a silly song we used to sing at camp, usually around a campfire, avoiding going to bed. It’s been modified many times so I don’t know who to credit for the original version.
After the ball was over
Nellie took out her glass eye
Put her false teeth in the water
And hung up her wig to dry
Stood her peg leg in the corner
Stuck her wax ear to the wall
Then what was left of her crawled into bed.
After the ball.
My Bedtime routine includes many items that are important to me because they set up the next day for feeling ready to enjoy the day.
- Straighten pillows on sofa and loveseat
- Put remotes away where they belong
- Put dog toys away
- Make sure dog has been taken out one final time before bed
- Put dishes in the dishwasher (if not already done)
- Wash kettles and dry out sink
- Shut down computer
- Make sure all doors are locked
- Turn out lights inside and make sure correct lights outside are on
- Check heat or A/C for proper setting
- Carry any items upstairs that need to be put away
- Change into PJ’s or robe
- Hang up clothes and/or put clothes in hamper
- Open bed
- Fill dog’s water bowl and CPAP reservoir
- Brush and floss teeth
- Take off makeup and wash face
- Take nighttime medication
- Use the toilet one last time
- Insert mouth guard to prevent grinding
- Plug hearing aids into the charger
- Set alarm and check phone for final messages
- Put phone on charger
- Put on and start CPAP machine
- Turn out lights
- Say prayers and words of gratitude
- Hopefully, fall asleep or toss and turn
Does this help you see why I don’t like to go to bed? I long for those days of my childhood when I put on my snuggly flannel pjs, brushed my teeth and fell into bed. Some nights, I don’t remember my head hitting the pillow.
Pleasant dreams to everyone. My goal is to make crawling into bed the best time of my day. I think I have some work to do first.
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