Trying to be a "Real Person"

“Are you still serving breakfast?”

“Yes. We serve breakfast until 10:45.”

I sat there aghast. I looked from the clock on the dash to the mysterious voice speaking to me from the McDonald’s Menu multiple times. It was only 10:15a.m.

I was surprised because...

      

      A. I thought Mickey D’s served their breakfast until 11:30 (No wonder they always make me get lunch food)…. And …

          B. I actually made it before they stopped serving breakfast (Not including the times that I get breakfast after I get home from work.)

As I waited in line, I peered at myself in the mirror. I was dressed, had brushed my hair, and lo and behold was wearing makeup. Impressed? Oh there is more…  

Before my 10:15 breakfast craving, I attempted yoga for half an hour, organized my “woman cave,” watched a little of the Today Show, gathered up some clothes to be donated, took a shower – fixed my hair-and attempted to hide the monstrosities that sit beneath my eyes, went to the post office and Target, AND took the dogs for a walk. 

**Makes the movement of dusting dirt off her shoulders**  

Thank you. Thank you. I successfully pretended that I could survive waking up SUPER early and living (as my sister calls it) a “real person’s” life.  Now I just had to figure out what to do with the REST of my day… (That’s what I get for waking up early.)

I am a night shifter. A 6:45pm – 7:15am night shift nurse. One of my first blog posts was about being a creature of the night… “Living the Vampire Life… Minus the Sucking Blood Part.” 

I recently, however, accepted an interim day shift position … four day a week… nine hours a day. I was very, VERY, lucky to get 6 days off to transition to “days,” however I haven’t worked too hard in “transitioning,” until the last two nights. I have been trying; my body just isn’t getting the hint. Two nights ago I went to bed at 11:30pm and woke up at 1:30am… finally getting to bed at 5am. Last night I was IN bed at 11:30am, but I last remember checking my clock at 1:30am. (Getting a little better.)

So I made the painful decision to get up at 6:45am this morning. It was rough, but I did it. It is A-Mazing how much I could get done and STILL have the rest of the day! Working nights allowed me to sleep in, but on my days off I would sleep the sun away (those precious hours the sun graces us with its presence). When I finally woke up, I would want to “vege” on the couch once the sun went down. Not many productive hours there.

I start Monday so I only have one more day of early waking to prepare. Wish me luck because I have never worked days… nor worked more than three days in a row (unless I was coming upon or returning from a BIG stretch off.)

7:30am Monday morning… Here. I. Come.

(and here's to hoping I don't look like Ginger when she wakes up too early...)