Today I woke at 7:20 a.m. The sun had already risen and was beginning to bend through my bedroom window. The birds were well into their chirping morning conversations. I was relieved that it was not the middle of the night.
You see, having returned from New Zealand last week, my body is still trying to adjust to the time zone here. It is 18 hours different. It’s easier on my brain to think 6 hours different and disregard the day ahead part. Or to not think of the time shift at all.
During the day, I’ve been fine. Nap ready at some point in the afternoon. But that is typically true for me. Ten minutes does wonders for me.
The nights have been more challenging. On Saturday it was falling asleep at 11:45 pm, but waking up at 12:15 (sounds like a good Kiwi nap, right) and being up for three hours. The night before it was not being able to get to sleep until well past 2:00 am.
The joy this morning, the relief, was that I’d slept through the night. A full eight hours. An occurrence that signals that I’m now back. That I might find my way back to reliable sleep and rest, accompanied by more fully energized days.
There is plenty of simple joy in the experience of being in New Zealand. There is also simple joy of a night’s rest. And there are times when it’s just a simple joy that is needed. Good to remind myself of that through the most basic of experiences, a good night’s rest.