Z is for Zzzzs

I don't sleep enough.

I am sitting here now, my eyes dry and itchy from sleep; my contacts adhering uncomfortably to my eyeballs. Occasionally, I'll reach up, close my eye and give it a squeeze. It pops the contact off my eyeball and gives me momentary relief.

Most people would just go to bed at this point.

But my children have been asleep less than an hour, and they will wake me entirely too early in the morning. This is my time, and I have too much to do to go to bed now. I have to crank out this post, then beat Jhwang20 and bosullivan312 at Scramble. I have to make Katie's lunch. I really should get the dishes out of the sink and into the dishwasher.

But mostly, I just want to sit. I want to sit and enjoy the relative quiet and the company of my husband and watch The Greatest Game Ever Played for the 400th time. How can I sleep when there is so much quality sitting to be done?

My friend Tangled Lou at Periphery held an informal poll on her Facebook page today, asking folks how many cups of coffee they drink in a day. I am embarrassed to admit my answer, and greatly relieved that she is just as caffeine dependent as I am.

I don't know if I require less sleep than when I was younger, or if my body has just adapted to the deprivation. I can not honestly remember the last time I slept through the night, but by my best guess, it's before the 5 year old was born. Someone is always waking up here, for whatever reason. Someone needs to be retucked, or snuggled into bed with us, or reassured or taken to the bathroom or gotten a drink of water.

I don't even know that I mind anymore. They're kind of sweet, these middle of the night reminders that little people need me.

I'm now typing with one eye closed, the contact past salvation. I am tired, but not too tired, afterall.