2. AWAKE

(The random word of the day is AWAKE.)

I get them every day; those pesky, driven, little Sleepies that work like frantic curling sweepers to drive the rock of my weariness to LaLaLand. Those Sleepies are very familiar to me.  They came all those years I was raising kids, right about the time the kiddos rushed in from school and needed to be driven to lessons.  Oh those seductive Sleepies!

My grandniece jumped into my car the other day, chirping from her seat in the back; ”Wow, you have a lot of stuff to eat in your car.” 

Yeah, I do.  Stay awake food.  I’m wearing a good 20 pounds of it right now. The theory is, better fat than dead.  I have a bin of Trail Mix custom made for the car.  There is a Holy Trinity of ingredients for my ideal trail mix, at least at this moment in my life.  One portion pretzel nibs, one portion peanut M&M’s, and one portion Hot Tamales. Like I said, I can attribute a full dress size to staying awake. Go ahead, judge me.

I first discovered the power of chocolate cake when I was 22 years old.  We lived in New York, far from anyone or anything familiar.  We had one car, and Dave took that to work while I stayed in our rental house with orange shag carpeting and took care of our two babies.  Dave’s federal circuit court clerkship required him to work excessive hours, so he usually wasn’t home until baby bedtime. I knew no one and since we lived in the suburbs, went nowhere. The wearies came to visit every afternoon, when babies are wont to fuss.  By chance I discovered that a piece of chocolate cake could supply the will to go on, and soon thereafter a little burst of energy.  Of course, I also discovered unconsciously that it would take another piece a half hour later to keep the juices flowing. Oh, chocolate cake… you wicked friend!

Lately, in an attempt to be a better steward over my body, I’ve learned to resort to sunflower seeds.  The ballpark version, that require some sort of rhythmic effort to get to the nut.  The process keeps me awake.  And the protein probably doesn’t hurt as much as the yumminess of chocolate. Or Trail Mix, for that matter.

I find it ironic and rather rude that I have such a battle mid-afternoon, fighting those Sleepies, when at 2 am, with no babies beckoning me, and no assignments requiring my attention, I listen to my husband sawing logs while I am … wide …  awake!