I have a personal quirk (one of many, I assure you) that I call Premature Waking. Premature waking is a type of insomnia. But not the usual kind where someone has trouble falling asleep.
Trust me, I have NO problem falling asleep. I can nod off anytime, anywhere, under any condition. I can fall asleep during a blast-off. I cannot, however, top a former girlfriend of mine who fell asleep during Star Wars. I kid you not! Off in La-La Land, snoring like she was getting paid for it… during Star Wars!! Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi fighting against Darth Vader and the Evil Empire and this girl is snuggled up to me, inhaling my shirt!
OK… where was I? Oh yeah. Premature waking.
I have no problem falling asleep. I have a problem staying asleep. I’ll go to bed and be gone almost as soon as my head hits the pillow. Sometimes, and it doesn’t happen all the time, I will wake up at 3:00 am… and that’s it! I’m up for the day!
Most times, if I wake up in the middle of the night, I’ll go to the bathroom and then crawl back into bed and be asleep before long. But on those nights when I get a premature waking attack, I know… I simply know… that going back to bed would be an exercise in futility. How do I know this? Because I’ve tried it dozens and dozens of times. By now, I can tell the difference between waking and being able to get back to sleep… and waking up for the day.
In my younger days, I would simply get into the car and drive around until the sun came up. I found it relaxing. I enjoyed going around Toronto in the wee hours, seeing people going to work, watching the street cleaning crews, enjoying how the sky went from black to deep blue to purple to pink. [1] I would often walk around the University of Toronto campus, especially the old gothic areas around Hart House and University College.
Nowadays, when I get up in the wee hours and I know that my day has begun whether I like it or not, I often cook. This is usually not an option when I am in a house where there are other people around. I don’t know why but there’s something about rattling the old pots and pans at 3:00 am that brings out the worst in some people! Fortunately, I live alone so the chances of someone stomping into my kitchen screaming, “Do you have any idea what time it is???” are substantially reduced.
Most often, I go to my computer, check my email and check the news to make sure there hasn’t been a zombie attack somewhere. I sometimes watch a movie or a television program on the computer. I don’t own a television or DVD player. [2] And speaking of zombies, unless you’ve sat eating cold spaghetti and watching Nazi Zombies at 2:45 in the morning, you just don’t know what a good time it can be! [3]
And on early mornings like this one today I will sit and tap away at the keyboard writing pieces for The Kosher Samurai or my sister blog, Vampyre Fangs, until it’s time to go either to court or shul. [4]
Oh dear, look at the time. I really should get dressed and get going!
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[1] By the way, if you’ve never had the pleasure, take a few minutes and enjoy Duke Ellington’s In My Solitude. I used to play this song in my car when I drove around Toronto in the wee hours.
[2] I also don’t own a stereo, microwave, dishwasher, blender, digital camera, smartphone, camcorder, digital video camera, DVD player or any number of modern gizmos and gadgets. And no, I’m not Amish.
[3] Next time you’re up in the middle of the night for no reason, try watching Dead Snow (Død snø). Nazi Zombies won’t help with the insomnia… but… you’ll be entertained, I can promise you that!
[4] I am a criminal defence lawyer, so most mornings, I am at one courthouse or another. I am also an Orthodox Jew, so on days when I am not in court in the mornings, I go to synagogue.
koshersamurai 