11 Comments

This. Is. Beauty Full. So much i could relate to.... starting with the memories of your childhood sleepovers. (Slumber Party ....such an oxymoron!). For way too long i kept trying to need less sleep so i could do/be more. Ironically, fewer hours of sleep always turned me into someone i could barely recognize! During this season as an empty nester, i unapologetically look forward to tucking myself in by 8:30ish with a good book and the light out around 9. 💗

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It's so true... I'm such a worse person when I don't get enough sleep. An 8:30 bedtime sounds divine, I can't wait!

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Congratulations on reclaiming your sleep! I love this and will try to do the same. I am really trying. Thanks for writing about it.

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It's so hard. I'm not always successful. But trying is a good start!

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Gosh. So much about this is just landingggg. I’ve been home with my kiddo (4yo) whose school has been closed the last few days and I’m currently sick (🫠) and it’s brought me back to the hunger/deprivation cycle with sleep so quickly. Even though it’s nowhere near the newborn days, we still have the pitter patter of the feet some mornings and the fighting of sleep at night.

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Ugh, being sick with no relief from childcare duties is one of the hardest things! I hope you are on the upswing. I know that in my next season of parenting, I'll be staying up too late to ensure my daughter makes her curfew, so it never really stops... but I'm still glad the newborn days are behind me!

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Yes! Sleep is one thing I won't compromise on, and I'm a big advocate of hibernating. Not that our way of life allows for that. Check out this recent piece I saw along those lines: https://anniescott.substack.com/p/why-you-wont-find-me-doing-anything. And not that you probably have lots of extra time for reading, but the book Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams made me feel better about my need to sleep a lot. And Four Thousand Weeks, an even better book, speaks to the futility of wanting to make a mark of significance — which can be very freeing!

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Wow, lots of great resources in here -- thank you! I love listening to nonfiction on Audible and am adding both these books to my list. I've only skimmed the first few paragraphs of the post you shared, but I can already tell I'm going to love it. :)

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I listened to both of them. Four Thousand Weeks isn't long but is packed with insights, and read by the author in a great British accent. I'm still thinking about it a lot (read it recently). The sleep one mostly served to vindicate my insistence on the importance of sleep. But it also had some interesting info, like some vaccines can work better if you get them when you've slept enough!

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I shall relish my childless sleep tonight thanks to you, Kerala. There’s a reason why sleep deprivation is a form of torture!

p.a. I love your writing. 😁

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Yes, and it's dangerous! I've gotten in two car accidents in my life and they were both shortly after returning to work from leave. Thank you for subscribing!

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