When I travel for work, I always *think* I’ll catch up on sleep. I mean, what could be better than a silent hotel room, nobody asking what’s for dinner, and a bed all to myself? My evening plan: supper, a little prep for the next day, and then lights out by 9pm. Early to bed, early to rise—right? Ha! Cue the laugh track.
The minute I realize nobody needs anything from me, I get a little tipsy on freedom. No chores, no requests, no responsibilities—except maybe remembering where I put my keys. So, I treat myself to a little me-time, which quickly snowballs into a marathon. I pick a new show to start watching and before I know it I’m 5 hours in. Each cliffhanger is a siren song: “Just one more episode…” But I can’t simply watch a show—I need to *do* something.
Enter my latest hobby of choice: coloring. I travel with a stack of coloring books and markers like a quirky adult on a mission. Once I start a picture, there’s no stopping. “Just ten more minutes” becomes “I can totally finish this mandala before midnight.” Next thing I know, my 9pm bedtime is a distant memory. Midnight creeps up, or I wake up in the middle of the night, like 1:30am and can’t get back to sleep at all. You can function fine on 2 hours of sleep, right?!
I keep telling myself that sweet, uninterrupted me-time is worth every yawn, even worth the cold that I usually end up getting. I’m not crazy, right?
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