How to Turn Lemons into Lemonade

I woke up this morning, which is actually an odd thing to say since I really didn't sleep last night. This is the second night in a row that I've gone to sleep only to wake up 2 hours later, toss and turn for about 3 hours, then proceed to snooze and wake every 1/2 hour for the rest of the night. I can function after one night of this sleeplessness, but not after two.

So ... I woke up this morning knowing that I would be useless at work. Yes folks, this is lemons. The kind of thing that turns you sour and makes it difficult for anyone to be near you. How do you sweeten this kind of day up and turn it into lemonade? I obviously needed some time off work to deal with this today, so I decided to use a vacation day to recover and try to determine what is causing such restless nights.

I logged into my work email and left a message that I would be out for the day. I then went for a very long and exhausting walk up and down the hills in my neighborhood, showered, ate breakfast ... and then fell into a deep sleep for the next 4 hours.

When I woke up from my blissfully dreamless nap (quite a blessing since I dream much and vividly) I felt great! This gave me some energy to assess my most recent bout of middle-agedness. Here is what I came up with:

1. I drink too much caffeine. Way. Too. Much. Apparently my body doesn't know what to do with it all.


2. I don't exercise often enough. I already know that in order to function well I MUST exercise. So, since I already know this about myself why don't I just do it? Sheer and utter cussedness. (I've been dying to use that word.)


3. Too much computer work, TV, and reading. I think my brain is on intake overload.

Now the hard part. What to do about the above assessment? After all, identifying the problems is only half of the solution (yes, I know ... this sentence needs some help but I've bigger problems than grammar today). What is really needed is action. So here are some action points:

1. Quit the caffeine. I really don't mind decaf, so after the initial shock to the system I should be fine. Please ignore the growling noises for the next few days.


2. Start my daily walking routine again. I'm not sure if I'll walk in the morning or evening yet. They both have their positive points. For now I just need to do it.


3. Some of the screen viewing time just has to go. For instance, I wrote this post out on paper first rather than create it in front of the computer screen. Staring at a piece of paper while I think is more relaxing on my eyes and brain than staring at a computer screen. I will also be spending some of my current TV time exercising. And the reading? I'll just have to ration and pace myself a little more sanely. I am what you would call a rabid reader. A little more restraint in this area wouldn't be a bad thing.

There. I'm feeling better already. Care for a glass of lemonade?