When the World Sleeps

 

There’s a funny thing that happens once you reach a certain savvy age: sleep becomes optional. Or at least it feels that way at 3:08 a.m. whey my eyes pop open like toast out of a toaster, and all hope of drifting back into dreamland vanishes faster than my twenties did.

When sleep becomes a suggestion and not a guarantee, I do what any brilliant, seasoned woman would do: I get up.

The house is deliciously quiet. Tank is tucked in, snoring like a tiny freight train. Steve’s wrapped in the covers like a human burrito. Meanwhile, I’m sneaking downstairs like a woman on a mission whilst avoiding the one squeaky stair. I flick on the fireplace, wrap up in my favourite blanket, and make myself a fancy mint tea — because at this hour, I deserve nothing less than full spa energy.

Sitting by the fire, I sip my tea like I’m starring in my own cozy movie. Sometimes I scroll online and fill shopping carts I never intend to buy. Sometimes I write profound journal entries that later read like the ramblings of a mad poet. And sometimes, I just sit there, solving all the world’s problems with the confidence of someone who’s had exactly zero hours of sleep and two cups of caffeine.

Middle-of-the-night me is bold. Middle-of-the-night me thinks a pixie haircut is a GREAT idea and that buying a fixer-upper in Tuscany sounds perfectly reasonable…preferably one that comes with a Vespa

I used to fight it. Toss, turn, plead for sleep like it was some big prize to be won. Not anymore. Now I see 3 a.m. for what it really is: a secret, golden hour where the world is quiet and the only expectations are the ones you set for yourself.

The house is so still at this hour. It’s a different kind of quiet too. It feels like the world hit the pause button and I’m the only one lucky enough to see it. It’s a sort of invitation – to slow down, listen in to find a kind of peace that daytime rarely offers.

So if you find yourself wide awake in the middle of the night, don’t stress. Don’t curse your aging hormones. And for heaven’s sake, don’t just lie there staring at the ceiling. Get up. Wrap yourself in something really lovely and soft. Make a ridiculously fancy tea. Sit by the fire and OWN your night.

You might be surprised at how much beauty there is to be found when the world is still and you’re the only one awake to notice.