Ease me gently into the morning...

I figure if I've managed to get 5 hours of sleep, I've done a damn good job and I allow myself to get up and walk into the living room to turn on the computer and from there proceed into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. I know how really awake I am by how well I perform this job. If I do it without the least frustration, I am most definitely ready to be up. 

This morning I made the coffee without the least amount of effort. I did it routinely, without giving it a thought and got the proportion of ground coffee just right. I don't over optimistically spoon coffee into the paper filter anymore. I know that less is better to make a strong enough cup with this Dutch coffee.

I also know now at which time of the evening to go to bed to get the most out of my sleep. It isn't very late and I'm certainly not going to go down in history as a party animal, but it is the most sufficient way for me to deal with my specific sleep requirements. It's a good thing that I live alone and that I don't have to be a companion to anyone late at night, because surely it wouldn't work out. Our schedules would clash like crazy.

My dog knows when it's time to go to bed. He gives me the warning signs and acts like my alarm clock to tell me it's time to go. Around bedtime he sits and barks at me softly and won't stop until I've gotten up and changed into my pajamas. Then I have to do my whole 'going to bed routine' while he follows me around the apartment, checking to make sure I do everything I'm supposed to do. He's not happy until I've settled down under the duvet and he's climbed onto the bed with me. 

Of course, every night we have the problem of the cat who wants to come on the bed also and who needs to be chased away by the dog. This is another endless routine that we go through and nobody seems to learn a lesson. The cat always comes and the dog always wants to assert his position and I always have to intervene. Maybe I should stop intervening and let them figure it out for themselves. I should stop rescuing the cat and let her fight her own fights. She needs a little bit of assertiveness training. 

I've stopped drinking coffee a while ago and have switched to lemonade. I'm going to take it and sit in my armchair for a while and read my thriller before I go back to bed to get some more sleep. The Exfactor is going to be here this morning and in the afternoon I've got appointments with my psychiatrist and my SPN.  I don't want new sleeping pills. I think they mess me up too much during the day without working at night. I think the system I have now will suffice. 

Have a great day everyone!

Ciao,

Nora