Growing up, I was repeatedly told that all of my actions have consequences. During the majority of the occasions when I heard this truism, I was receiving unpleasant “consequences” for what were decreed to be poor decisions: turning cartwheels down the aisle at church, swiping cookies before dinner, or reading under the covers.
I never did outgrow that last indescretion. It is very rare that I would go to sleep without reading something; usually, my fatigue dictates how long I’m able to prop up the book in my lap. Generally, I can last about twenty minutes, depending on the day of the week, but even that short period of time helps my body relax into sleep. Even in the summertime, I snuggle under the covers and lean up against my husband pillow (not JG, one of those pillows with arms) for the nightly ritual. I don’t need to stop myself at a chapter break because my mind conveniently picks up where it left off, even mid-paragraph. As soon as I feel my eyelids droop and my fingers lose their grip, I drop in my index-card bookmark — you know, for jotting down words I want to look up later — slide the book onto my nightstand, reach up to turn off the light, and settle in for the night. On the rare night when I outlast my twenty minutes, I have the pleasure of using my fancy LED reading light. Its moonbeam-y glow brings me back to those illicit hours when I lay huddled under my covers, keeping half an ear open for my parents’ footfalls in the hallway.
Last night, I stayed up way past my bedtime in a mad dash to finish the last chronicle in the Harry Potter series. I started the book in the afternoon on Saturday and read steadily until I finished it at almost 1am this morning. At first, I was simply wide awake.
I am still breathing deeply and muttering this morning. Pressing on to finish the book was clearly a bad decision and I am suffering the consequences, as evidenced by the grogginess, yawning, dark circles under my eyes, and overall delayed reaction time. It’s my own fault. I’ll manage.
Even in my hazy state, I know with full certainty that I’ll make this bad decision again. It’s just a matter of time.
7 comments
Heh. I was in your shoes last Monday. I knew I had to finish Harry Potter once we got to Hogwarts.
Was it worth it?
I did a similar thing last week. I was up way too late on Thursday so I went to bed without finishing it, but then I got up early Friday morning to finish. I was definitely feeling my lack of sleep most of the day, but it was worth it!
Reading in bed is the only way I can get to sleep, too… unfortunately when the book is really good, sometimes it backfires and I end up staying up waaay too late. I’m sure HP was worth it!
I feel so left out. Everybody’s finishing the seventh and I haven’t even started the sixth.
So as to avoid being That Guy Who Ruined the Ending of Harry Potter, I’m going to revert back to e-mail responses for this post, okie doke?
I absolutely do this too! And I hate looking at the clock, and the pages remaining, and trying to make the decision to go ahead and “power through” or to finish it tomorrow. Usually, sleeping loses and I have dark circles the next day. And is it worth it? Of course!
xox
I know, it’s like the clock is mocking me, but I still rarely ever choose to be practical and get some sleep.
I totally cannot go to sleep without reading, even if it’s only 3 lines before my eyelids clamp shut.
In college, I may have been known to go out and get fairly (read: very) drunk and then come home and read Newsweek with one hand covering one eye because I had double-vision. Gosh, that’s embarrassing.
Oh, I remember reading that in your 100 things! Hey, at least no one can say you weren’t dedicated.
Leave a comment