in the middle of the morning... as Meat Loaf has it in that wonderful rockin' song. Well, that's me.
When I was a child, I could never wake up and get to school on time. If I was forcibly extracted from bed and driven to school, I couldn't function. On the other hand, I laid awake for hours every night.
"Insomnia," said the doctor. He suggested warm milk. And soothing music. And a teddy bear. Finally, he suggested Valium. (Yes, I know... but this was the 1960s.)
The Valium worked a treat. I went to sleep at a godly hour and slept through... until about eleven the next morning. Thus one part of the problem was solved, but not the other. I know what you're thinking. You got addicted to Valium and are still a user. Well, no. I slowly stopped taking it as I got older and never had any problem with withdrawal other than a recurrence of my "insomnia".
Time drew on, and so did I. As an adult, I chanced upon a description of body clocks. At last I had it! I do not and have never had, insomnia. There is nothing wrong with my sleeping habits a'tall. I am not lazy, or idle, or slothful. I simply have a body clock that is skewed about 25 degrees in the clockwise direction.
These days, I can force it round backwards by progressively going to bed a few minutes earlier. I do that if I have a week of school workshops to do or a plane to catch. Otherwise, I let it be. Thus I wake at about ten thirty in the morning. (Up from the ground in the middle of the morning! I potter about, run or walk over to get the mail, sort out e-mail, have lunch, then start work. I write, in between going for a walk, cooking meals, and seeing to the dogs and my elderly parents, until 2 a.m., then, still sprightly, I potter off to bed. It works for me.
But if I wasn't a self-employed writer, the lord alone knows how I'd survive in a 9 to 5 world!
Thanks, Ginger, for inviting me to "guest blog". It's the first time I ever did it, and I'm mildly surprised I didn't take the opportunity to plug my latest book. Maybe it's too early in the morning!
