This was a very quiet week for me. Aside from a chemo treatment and watching Big Bang Theory with mom, I haven’t been doing a lot. It’s a healing week for me and during healing weeks, I sleep. A lot. Last night I slept 14 hours straight (it’s true. Ask my mom.) Sometimes it’s good sleep and other times it’s some of the worst sleep I’ve ever had. There is a reason I went comatose for 6 hours in the middle of a work day and that was to come out on the other side feeling better! Not like I was hit by a bus! Sigh… I digress.
I’ve come to appreciate sleep a lot more than I used to. When I was still a full time college student, I’d pull at least one all nighter every couple weeks. It helped that I was naturally a night owl and I am productive in the dark, but the day after that all nighter was the absolute worst. Actually, the next few days were all around terrible. I’d have to get readjusted to a regular sleep schedule again all while trying to attend my classes. The 2-3 days post-all nighter sleeps were never refreshing. It was just a week of me being a groggy monster and everyone knew it. It didn’t matter how much coffee I drank, I might as well have had a huge sign plastered on my chest saying, “I pulled an all nighter. If you don’t want to die, run in the opposite direction like in a King Kong movie and I am King Kong. RAWR!”
Now, sleep has become a necessity and not just because I’m recovering. If I have to fall asleep for a few hours, then I have to do that and trust me, I will. I think it’s something a lot more people should do. Even if it’s a quick 10 minute nap during a lunch break, people need sleep. It helps us being more alert, more focused and gives us an energy boost. I once read (probably on a Pinterest post) that the most optimum nap time is 26 minutes long. It’s just enough to give you a boost but not enough to put you in a REM cycle. So remember that for when you need a quick pick me up but don’t want to down another cup of heart-racing coffee.
Until next time,
Dana
My Bright Corner 
February 7, 2017
Dana, I hope you turn this into a book someday. By the time you’re done with this blog/website, the book is practically done. You’re already such a wise girl. I just texted my husband and two girls your paragraph on hellos and goodbyes. I’ve added to that that we are going to look each other in the eyes. We’ve always had the rule in our family as well. But we’ve been getting very lax with it. I say I don’t do resolutions. But this is my (renewed) resolution!
Here’s a little something I’d like to add for you. You were talking about how goals don’t have to change but simply the path there may need to be adjusted. That is a lovely and optimistic outlook. It sounds beautiful. I like it. That is true, when you have hope and can see the light. This is not true for everyone. Sometimes bodies and brains go through physical changes we have no control over. Sometimes changes are permanent. So sometimes even our goals must realistically change, too. Sometimes someone must go through periods of denial, mourning and acceptance-or not-of a changing situation. It’s a hard truth. But for a few people, it is reality. And it’s OK for goals to change. My big life lesson of the year has been to learn that the only thing that I really have control over is my attitude. And I sure love your attitude, Dana. I always have from the moment I met you. For me, seeing you or even just thinking about you, fills my world with sunshine.
Again, I considered not sharing these thoughts publicly. Maybe you are able to screen, filter, edit what comes through before it gets posted. But I guess you have this forum for a reason. Let me not sugarcoat this, although I feel very alone with my reality, maybe my additions can help someone else, too. Again, attitude is everything. And to a great degree, we do have control over our attitude. That is what I am also taking away (understanding) from your website: We have a choice about our attitude in life, no matter what.
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