When you work an overnight shift the morning sometimes falls in the mid-afternoon. Usually, mine is around noon but if I’m getting a good night’s rest it runs into mid-afternoon. And when you have such a drastically different schedule than others meal cycles just merge.
I have no distinction in eating any food at any time of the day. More than half the week I’m having dinner for breakfast because my better half is having dinner for dinner. And it just gets weirder from there. I can eat anytime day or night and there is no rule on what can be had at any of those hours.
The body’s ability to adapt amazes me. I get together with a few of my best friends each week. We like to grill out. I’ve gotten up, showered, dressed grabbed a Coke and met them on the deck, and grilled some massive steaks. Yeah, steak for breakfast. I might have easily just had a bowl of frosted flakes at that same time if I hadn’t met up with them.
Working odd shifts you will probably find a lot of people who feel this way. I know some people who work nights, stay up till early afternoon, then sleep and get up in the evening. Your internal clock only operates on days. Some days I’ll step out for lunch and it’s sunny. Sometimes I step out for lunch and look at the moon high in the sky at 1 am. All in the same week.
I’ve always been kind of a night owl and worked more than a few night shifts over my career. I love the stillness of night while at the same time if your up you can also see a bustle of activity that goes on every evening under the guise of darkness while most of you sleep. Once I get some time I’ll document this life and activity more.
Sometimes when I’m troubled my thoughts go to a day when I was 9 and troubled. It was winter and very late at night and I just wandered out back in about a foot of snow. I stood for a minute and then just fell back into the snow. I remember the comfort of the landing and just laying still for a moment. My arms were out to my side slightly and my legs apart. I remember smiling and just making a snow angel with them and then just laying still. I laid there looking at the stars and snow on the branches of the trees, the quiet and stillness of everything.
The reason I remember this is because that it was the few minutes in several months after my Dad passed that I felt at peace, that things might be ok, that I could get up and make it. And through my life at various points that memory and calm come back to me at important times.
Random Thoughts of the Day
- The air always feels so clean after a hard rain. I love going out after and just breathing deeply.
- Pain doesn’t fight fair. Its hard to take a clean swing at it.
- If I ever lived alone the secret to a clean house would be – Have company over often.
- I’m not sure if social media highlights the low percentage of very disgruntled people or that there really is a much higher percentage of very unhappy people on earth than I thought.
- I had to smile at the new level of cluelessness that arrose this morning. At least I laugh about it now instead of being frustrated by it.
