Sometime back when I was working.

It’s been years. For me, the tough part comes at the other end: I don’t want to get up.

Ha! Tonight! I rarely want to go to bed, but I have to. Bipolar disorder doesn’t like missing out on sleep. It throws my delicate balance off. I need to go to bed and get up at the same time all the time, so between 10–11 and up between 7–8. Need lots of sleep, but don’t necessarily sleep the whole time. Wish I did.

When I was very young I hated going to sleep, which was synonymous with going to bed. It felt like punishment sometimes, I wanted to stay up and play, watch TV, or listen to the adults talk.

In college it drastically changed and I loved getting into bed, including midday for a nap. It mostly had to do with being tired from walking across the Michigan tundra, and bed was warm and comfy.

During my adulthood I usually love getting into bed as long as I’m starting to feel sleepy. The first ten seconds are so nice to be able to get really comfortable. During times of stress that all changes and I wind up falling asleep in the sofa a lot. The last two weeks I haven’t wanted to turn in for the night, instead I’m on the sofa watching TV.

A night this past summer when I was camping. I could hear loons and wolves but it was a long day of hiking. I was exhausted.

Last night, even this night a bit, but at some point, I started to learn that it can work much better to go to sleep and then get up early, and do things while rested. But that situation changed quite a bit for me with age (it got much harder for me to stay fresh late at night, and not to suffer the day after staying up late), and with changing circumstances of who I live with and work for, etc.

Since I retired a little over a year ago, my sleep pattern is all over the place. Sometimes, like tonight and last night, I take a two hour nap around 11, and then wake up at around 1 or 1:30 and may be awake until 5. I could take Melatonin or something like that but I am resistant to the idea of popping pills.

During a hurricane.

I stay up as late as I want. It is waking up that I hate.

Last time I had that problem was 15 years ago and I was playing old fashioned Dungeons & Dragons with actual friends in real life.

Every Friday and Saturday I hate to go to bed. As an adult it’s the only days you’re freeeee!

I never met a nap I didn’t want.