SLEEPING AND OLD AGE

I have always slept well. That is, until I hit my 60's. Suddenly, the ability to go back to sleep is becoming elusive. I'm not sure what has changed. My diet remains constant. I still have the same wife, dog, and cat. The neighbors haven't changed in years. We've lived in the same house for over 20 years.

But now, when something wakes me up, the chances of remaining awake are much greater. I don't think it's hormones. Only women have that problem. I have had great sympathy for Lin in that area. Men are supposed to be able to roll over and resume peaceful slumber within a few minutes. I have been proud to count myself in that group for years. Women, however, once they hit the magic age, remain awake for hours if they are disturbed. Lin even keeps a book at the ready with a little flashlight. Thank God for little flashlights. I know now why God has younger people have babies. It would be a different world if old people had to get up at night to change a diaper. I think they would be zombies during the day. Not to mention that a 60 year old woman having a baby would probably destroy her body.

Actually, remaining awake at night does have it's advantages. I lay there wondering why I was so sleepy in the first place. Why could I hardly hold my eyes open at 9, and then be Mr. Big Eye at 2? There are all kinds of things to think and pray about. It's interesting that when you get one issue taken care of in your mind, that another one floats to the top to take its place. It's like dross floating to the top when you purify a metal. My mind is pure gold, and there are these nasty things that don't float up until I wake up during the night. I wonder if my brain is over-heated? That might explain the dross. So I finally get up and change the venue. Like moving to the couch. That's when the images surface. Images of bacon and eggs, fresh biscuits, jelly, cold milk. If I ate everytime those evil pictures presented themselves, I would weigh 400 pounds. Fortunately my will power goes into action and eventually the hunger subsides. A small glass of milk does the trick.

I think I see certain advantages to retiring. People who only sleep 3 hours the night before are not the quickest minds at the office. At least when you retire, you can join the legions who take a morning nap. I used to think only babies take naps. Now I realize that there are growing millions of people who nap after breakfast. My opinion of them has gone from disdane to sympathy. I am trying to figure out how I can avoid the same fate. When I'm focused at work I don't get sleepy, even when I've shortchanged my sleep. Once I retire, I can see the temptation of the easy chair. I see the solution clearly: When I retire, I need to keep busy during the day. The Bible has some bad things to say about those who slumber. However, it also says that He gives his beloved sleep. Maybe it depends on the context.