thankful.

A picture of three tuckered Donovans on the airplane back from Mexico. Please note that even though Kelsey (middle) appears to be the less knocked out than then Jen and I, she was so drugged on Gravol that we had to stick something up her nose to wake her up. 

Ok, maybe we didn't have to do that but nothing else was as effective!

Today I am thankful for the gift of sleep. 

Sure my night was plagued with dreams of a cleaning crew that came through my house and took all items that could be used to create crystal meth (I have no idea where that came from!), but I was able to get 8 hours of sleep! I have a love-hate relationship with my sleep these days to the point where weeks go by and I forget what “real” sleep even feels like. The problem is it’s not a typical and identifiable sleep disorder that’s constantly depriving me of sleep. No, my problem is that I dream too intensely to the point where I can’t even distinguish reality some days! My dreams can be like a prison that I’m trapped in and subjected to without any control over my situation. Have you seen the movie, "Inception"? Well that is almost my exact experience with dreaming to the extent of waking up 3 times before I’m actually in reality again! At one point I even started taking anti-seizure medication to dampen my brain activity at night. Over the past few months the medication was effective but then stopped working so I’m off it all together so at least I don’t have to deal with the side effects.

However, last night I had a real, drug-free sleep! It wasn’t quiet, peaceful and as restful as some people regularly experience but the big part is that I woke up with a sense that rest was actually accomplished! It was exciting for me but also for Josh who gets very regular updates on all the adventures I go on in my dreams and suffers when my exhaustion results in grumpiness and a lack of patience. 

Today I am thankful for sleep. I’m thankful for the opportunity to have 8 uninterrupted hours while enjoying my slumber on a cozy bed under warm blankets and in a safe home. Sure I might not have the most restful of sleeps but I know there will be many people around the world going to bed tonight without the simple blessings of a bed, a blanket, a home and safety.