Doing your best work!

I've always been a night owl-this is what my mom always called me. I guess I was not a good napper as a baby or child. I was the kid laying on her kindergarten mat fidgeting and looking around instead of resting! My favorite part of the day....the later the better. I would stay up until 1, 2 or 3 a.m. reading with a flashlight under the blankets at a kid. I loved summer time when I could do this then sleep late. And when I woke up after my late night/early morning reading binge,  I'd grab my book and pick up where I left off!

High school and college years were no better. I did some of my best work after 9 or 10 p.m. in the evening! I would pull all-nighters at semester test time in college. I don't know why but I do my best work later in the day. I've always said if I was a nurse you'd want me on the 11-7 shift or the 3-11 p.m. shift. I've always been like this.

Fast forward to adulthood/parenthood and if you think you are sleep deprived in college that's nothing compared to being a parent. Newborns are so messed up with their days and nights and I understand why. Before they are born they sleep during the day because they are lulled to sleep by the movement and sounds, at night when the mom is quiet (you are sleeping) they are up and at it! I was blessed with a colicky baby on my first round. Sleep walking became the norm for me! Things got better. Kids grow up and learn to love sleep  (most, with the exception of me!). Someone once gave me the sound advice to sleep with your baby/child sleeps...best advice ever! It took me a while to learn but I did-a rested mom is a much better parent. And life continues to move along...teenagers love to sleep late after usually staying up late. I was blessed with a child who is like her dad, she loves to sleep and requires a LOT of sleep. The other two did okay in the sleep department as well.

Now that the nest is empty I'm involved even more. I work two jobs outside my full time job and I have to have something to do. I don't like to just sit and watch tv or play games on my phone. I need something productive to do. And besides the full time job and the two other part time jobs I have a house to run and take care of with little help. I've tried and struggled to train myself to be a morning person. And honestly I keep a better handle on my migraines if I do get up seven days a week at the same time. It's tough to do this some days when I've stayed up late but I feel so much better if I keep a schedule.

And I've tried to train myself to go to bed earlier. I've never been a morning person and I'm still not admitting to myself that I probably never will be but I probably won't ever be "good morning sunshine" kind of person! I was recently to the point of crawling into my bed after 8 p.m. to watch a movie on my laptop or read for a few weeks. Winter was hanging around too long, it's dark out and it is good to be home. But as you can probably guess I'd fall asleep and guess who would wake up sometime between 2-4 a.m. ME!!! Ugh. So last night I had the opportunity to stay up and wait for my youngest son to arrive home. And I was amazed at how much I got done! I was more than ready for today. I had actually gotten up earlier than normal yesterday morning and got a lot done at home as well before heading into work. I've not been home much after school this week so I was not on top of things. It happens, don't judge! But back to my late night accomplishments-I impressed myself. I felt coherent (not always the case in the mornings) and I felt ready for today when I crawled into bed after midnight. I got things done that had been on my mental "to do" list all week! Yay me!

We all have different personalities and times when we do our "best work". I'll never judge someone who is a morning person or does their best work at 3 a.m. Yay you regardless! Now someone who needs 10-12 hours of sleep....I struggle with that one...but we're all different. I feel like poo if it get too much sleep-usually triggers a migraine and I'd rather eat dirt to avoid one of those.  But it is what it is! Make the most of whatever kind of personality your have, be it a night owl, an early bird or an exhausted pigeon!!

When I do dumb things

We all do dumb things. Some people do dumb things daily or several times a day. Some people rarely do dumb things. I have mastered the fine art of doing dumb things, so I'm a daily dumb things doer! I've also tried to master the fine art of covering up or ignoring my stupidity or praying no one notices! But I'll be the first one to laugh at myself.

My dumb thing today....leaving my lunch sit out on the counter all night. Duh Lynn. I sadly put it in the trash at 6 a.m. when I discovered my unthinking act. I was half mad at myself. because I was looking forward to lunch! So lunch today consisted of dry granola bar and an apple with some water. I had a perfectly delicious leftover lunch I could have been eating....but noooooo. Nice job Lynn.

The other almost dumb thing I did was wear shoes that have holes in them (not like they are worn and old but part of the design on the top of the shoe-I call them my perforated shoes!). It has been pouring rain for the past 12 hours and is sloppy and wet out. I stepped outside my back door and turned around the went in to change my shoes-at least I didn't get any farther than that! I knew it was raining, hard, but didn't give it a thought when I slipped on my shoes for the day. Another duh Lynn moment, that was like the second one within an hour this morning. Insert eye roll emoji here!

Being the youngest of five I did a lot of silly, embarrassing and stupid things. And my siblings liked to laugh and make fun of me when I did this. I get embarrassed easily and I'm still very conscience of what I say or do and try to avoid at all cost the risk of embarrassing myself. Having people laugh at you, especially when it is an embarrassing moment is not a good feeling. And especially when the people laughing at you is someone you trust or are close to and it's in public, it hurts because they are laughing at you.

I try, as I've said before, to fly under the radar. Stealth-mode, as I like to call it. I worry about having food in my teeth or saying something dumb or tripping in front of a crowd. No I have not embraced my klutziness nor my stupidity, especially in front of people I know or people who I know will be the first one to point out my faux pas. I don't need someone calling out my stupidity, I'm fully aware of it! I also try to cover when someone else makes a mistake or does something embarrassing. We're all in this together and the last thing I want to do is point out someone's screw up.

I love a good laugh, it's good for the soul, and I often laugh at myself for the dumb things I do or think or say. So when it comes to laughing at myself or a good friend for something dumb, it is truly good for the soul. But when it is an embarrassing moment I'll try to cover or ignore or help divert attention away from the situation. I'm a safety kind of person!

So I will continue to try to embrace my dumb moments and if someone points them out I will try to handle it with dignity and grace rather than turning 12 shade of red from blushing and getting flustered (this is my usual method of dealing). I'm sure I'm not finished with dumb things for today...it happens, I need to embrace my stupidity and mistakes and laugh at them rather than hid them. I'm working on it....

Have a good dumb-free day!

What are you reading?

I've been a book worm since I learned how to read! Today I'd like to call it a library/book store rat!!

I used to read any and everything I could get my hands on. I read all the books left behind by my sisters. I would go to the library on Saturday while my mom would get groceries to stock up on books for the week! I would do the reading club/challenge that the public library offered every summer. I would ask for books or use gift money to buy books. I can't imagine what it's like to NOT be able to read.

So recently I sent out an email to all female staff at my school inviting them to be part of a book club here at school. I heard back from seven other people and so we created "our little book club," as I like to call it.  We have a variety of people involved. When we met two weeks ago to discuss our first book, two members had finished the book, two of us were in the midst of reading the book, two had not gotten the book and one I'm not sure of but could not be there. The discussion was interesting and educational.

So we forged ahead to read book number two. (I still have to finish the first book-but don't tell anyone!). So I'm on a reading kick right now. I have bought a few books, after I read them I donate them to the library I work at so the book can be read by others-pay it forward. I've started the second book...and I've read at least 2-3 other books in the mean time. I used to read any and everything. Now I have a hard time finding books that keep my interest or I feel worth my time. Yes I've gotten picky.

I ordered three books from ebay last week that arrived earlier this week, they were cheap, it was a buy two get one for free deal and all were books that were on my "books I want to read" list. None of them are current or on Oprah's must-read list or the New York Times best sellers list right now. But non-the-less they were books that I wanted to read. Well guess what, they arrived, I grabbed the top book and to say I'm a little obsessed with it is an understatement! I read during the night the night before last...for 2-1/2 hours, instead of sleeping. I haven't done this for a long time. It's an autobiography by an actress and I've found it funny. Funny to the point where I've actually cried because I'm laughing so hard. That might be part of the reason why I'm enjoying it. And I'm NOT getting my book club book read, once again!

I'm a feast or famine reader. I can go months without having a book to read or take months to read a book. In the past four weeks I've read six books. I love this. Yes, there are things that are NOT getting done, but no one is going hungry and work is still getting finished. Why do I have this obsession again, I don't know. Maybe I've opened my mind or tried a new genre or two. I read a murder mystery and that genre has not been my forte for a while. It was a good read suggested by my daughter. Regardless I have enjoyed this down time, other than my lack of sleep, for the past month or so. For me reading is like exercising-it's good for my mind and soul.

We all forget and don't realize how much we read every day-it's like breathing, you just take it for granted. It's part of life!

By the way, what are YOU reading right now?