I have always looked forward to the blissful night. That time of day that is completely my own. That time to achieve the little things that are impossible during the daylight hours.
As a mother the day belongs to the children. It starts early and is continuous. You change, you feed, you drop to various locations. You may have to visit teachers or arrange dentist and holidays. Household chores all need to be done. Make the beds, vacuum, washing, arrange dinner and the stocking of the shelves for the next week. You always have shadows following you about, in the toilet, to the shops. If they are not there physically, they are always there in your mind for what needs doing or what they haven't done or what you can do for them.
At night, when the children are asleep, rest time does not mean sleep. It's put your feet up and watch television - that great series you have been dying to get to all day. Sew a rug, write a story, read the best book in the world. Play trivia with the neighbours, chess with a friend or sudoku gets the numbers ticking over. Spend that special time with your significant other, or all of these things together and maybe lots of others.
Unfortunately, I find this special time of mine can extend for longer than I intended. I tell myself to go to bed before ten or midnight. The children wake at six or seven and sometimes earlier. I start work early and need the sleep. If you do not get to bed earlier, you can be tired all day. You might be the cranky person you do not want to be. You may not do things to their full potential. You may miss out on something as you are tired and have to sleep.
It depends on what time you have to get up, and what you are doing that day. You may not have to get up at any time. You may want to vegetate, let the world pass you by. Let the family look after themselves. Just spend the day for yourself. It does not matter if a parcel comes to the door – they’ll leave it - or a friend comes to visit and sees you in your pyjamas. Or worse still, your mother accuses you of being lazy, and it didn’t happen in her day.
All of this has happened to me.
Now is the time for my New Years Resolution.
Go to bed at a reasonable hour.
Reasonable is very flexible. Reasonable to one is different to reasonable, for example, a baker who starts work at two am, six mornings per week. The definition of reasonable according to the Macquarie Dictionary is ‘having sound judgement, fair and sensible’. I believe I am sensible. I am always fair. My judgement in most matters is quite sound, but I still find it hard to put myself to bed while enjoying ‘my time’ late into the small hours of the morning. I am working on that resolution. It is only a short time into the new year and so far, I have seen midnight many times. Luckily there is only one child at home and one significant other and I am on holidays from work therefore no major issues so far.
Go to bed at a reasonable hour.
When I was younger, I owned a milk run where I worked in the small hours of the morning. Before that I worked night shift in a theatre.
Those wonderful night hours can be yours alone. Enjoy them.