The best part of waking up is not Folger’s in your cup; it’s not being dead. I average about four hours of sleep per night, so I am never fully-rested, fully-cognizant, or fully-functioning. It is one of many thorns in my side. But I keep waking up each morning, before the sun, before the rooster crows, still breathing and being alive.
In the time it’s taken you to read this, about 100 people have died. Yep, approximately 6000 per hour.
So consider yourself lucky! If you’re still here, you’ve still got a mission to accomplish. Maybe it’s tackling that in-box. Maybe it’s chores. Maybe it’s fighting an illness. Maybe it’s a kind word to build someone up today, or just putting one foot in front of the other. But you’re not still sitting here, converting oxygen into carbon dioxide, for nothing. My guess is you’ll make it to the next minute as well. Hey, that’s better than the 200 people who died since you clicked on this post. Cheers to life, buddy! Get another cup of coffee (free trade, fair trade, or whatever) and enjoy the morning.
This reminds me: I am supposed to be slow-cooking beef stew for my girl today.
Do I have time for that? Or do I need to just turn the heat up and cook it fast?
😉
Love this sentiment
And the message.
Zen and the Art of Coffee!
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You totally have time to slow-cook beef stew. Maybe not to finish dessert, but…
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But??
Existential shit makes me scrazy!
Now…Kerbey…you have ruined my day!
And of …course… I am kidding.
( me thinks)
😉
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Hey, LA, I just saw on https://www.facebook.com/TracesofTexas a picture of the Flagship Hotel. Reminded me of you. Check it out if you can.
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Amen! I love that sentiment. I have a great appreciation for living. It is a gift you can not ignore. Unfortunately, per my cardiologist’s advice I gave up coffee a few years ago. I wish I could suggest something to help your insomnia. Yoga? Maybe some downward facing dog would help.
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I’m sorry about that. So what do you drink? Some hot tea? Can you have some chai? I do have a yoga tape (yes, VCR) because it’s the only one I can find where the teacher is not all hudu-guru and there aren’t Buddha and Hindu statues in the background. All our cable yoga lessons have that. Just not my cup of tea, but fine for some people. And downward dog hurts. Yoga ladies are strong to do all that stuff.
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I drink herb tea. Mint,licorice and chamomile. Some times I do Red Zinger. I know that sounds like a cliche but I need a hot beverage in the AM. And they fit nicely with my toasted muffin and orange marmalade.
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I have Red Zinger in my pantry, too. Goes well with an English Muffin. Mmmm marmalade.
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Orange Marmalade. The rock star of marmalade.
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A few have it better. A whole lot have it worse. Thanks, Kerbey, for your wise persective.
I, you see, would not be able to come up anything nearly as profound on a steady diet of four hours of sleep a night. How do you do it, besides the coffee, I mean?
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Hours and hours of prayer, trying to find the humor, not having to drag myself to an office (which is why I had to quit), telling myself this, too, shall pass, and ultimately believing if I drop dead from years without rest, at least I won’t be in pain any more and everything will be happy. But iced tea and my weekend Coke and happy TV shows can give me a little pep. I just booked an acupuncture evaluation tomorrow, so maybe that will help! Maybe when I start getting 6 hrs sleep, my posts will wind up just being pictures of the avocado I ate for lunch and a big snoozefest. Ha!
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wow–you get even less sleep than I do! Is this by choice or do you not sleep well? I’m at 6ish a night, though only because I don’t get myself to bed at a decent time. Striving for more for sure.
But Amen to your sentiment about celebrating the simple fact of being alive. And the fact that you have an awesome Alice banner up. Wasn’t Tommy the cutest? Loved that show and looks like Alice is aging well: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0492089/
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No, no–not by choice. Years of doctors, pills, sleep study, therapy–no help. And lately I hear bass noises 24/7, so I cannot sleep with that. Core sleep is 5.5 hrs needed for a person to function, so at 6, you should be fine. Yes, Tommy was cute, and I have enjoyed seeing Linda Lavin playing Sean’s mom on the new sit-com. Hair dye is a miracle-worker (I speak from experience!). I still like to sing the “Alice” theme song while I wash dishes.
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How many years? So sorry to hear–no fun 😦 Was stuck not sleeping for about a year after my oldest turned one. Ironic as she was finally sleeping through the night, but I had lost my ability to sleep. I had a few acupuncture treatments and did a lot of reading on “sleep hygiene.” Thinking hormones were messing my system up–you, too, do you think? Sorry that even the drs can’t help.
At this point, I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime, which I think means I’m chronically overtired. Naps are big with me. Can you sleep during the day? Or is that a no-no if you want to sleep overnight? One piece I remember from my reading: the body can not live without adequate food and water. You can die of thirst and starvation. But the body will never die from lack of sleep–it’ll get what it needs somehow.
Yes to hair dye and singing while doing the dishes, though I’d rather someone else did the dishes and I’d be happy to sing while they washed.
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I’m sure my hormones are off. With what I eat and exercise, I can’t lose a pound, so I know I’m off. My insurance only covers one doctor visit per year, so I can’t go get hormone shots or anything. And yes, “sleep hygiene” is the term. It’s been over 8 yrs now. All those things people post about how you need 8 hrs are great in theory, but I’ve lived for years off 1 or 2 hrs of sleep several nights in a row. Books say somehow you will recoup lost sleep, but I never do. I did manage a nap today, but it usually takes 4 hrs of lying in bed to get a 45 min nap. Not worth it. Ain’t nobody gonna do dishes but me; they will load them improperly, and I am an (exhausted) control freak.
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Kerbey, my heart goes out to you. Almost a decade of crappy sleep? Arrrrgh. Can’t even imagine and how frustrating to have the “experts” stumped. I remember my dr telling me that a wine cooler before bedtime might help. Huh? (clearly my dr was not an expert)
Hoping the acupuncture helps and your hormones get sorted. I don’t agree with the books that the body makes up sleep. From what I remember learning, the quality of your sleep will increase, so your one hour might be someone elses four hours. ?? Regardless, one hour is not enough. Though this explains why you post so often!
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Yes, I will have to cut it down.
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I’m still here. Fab piece. Enjoyed it. A fellow insomniac.
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I’m sorry for your insomnia as well. Glad you’re still here!
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Hey Mel.. Kiss my…. No not gonna say it ( I prefer biscuits and gravy anyway) Yes Life is a gift that why its call the Present. Ok, I admit that old expression that Kung Fu Panda stole is kind of cheezy. But there is a lot of truth to it. Ok one more….
I Am an Agent of Change! This is the Non-Profit Mantra and as Tears for Fears belts out… Everybody Wants to Rule the World..
I truly believe that we can take our lives and live out our true purpose ( hmm, sounds like a good
name for a wordpress Blog, ha!)
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Grits! I said it. And I said it with a shout, shout, let it all out. Well, that’s all part of a purpose-driven life, isn’t it?
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That picture is wonderful.
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It took nearly an hour to find it, so I’m glad you like it.
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Another great pic. This post reminds me of a horrible comedy film (one of the Scary Movie series) where two characters split hairs over the idea of “waking up dead.”
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LOL I guess they’d be waking up undead?
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Brilliant!
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Waking up is more than half the challenge!
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How depressing, but I guess that’s life. How many people have died in the last hour as I’ve enjoyed my cup of coffee and played with something as inconsequential as my blog? Have I influenced anybody-for better or worse- yet? Better get to work!
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There–you just communicated with a complete stranger and validated I exist. Good job.
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