I just had drinks with friends on a work night for the first time in more than two years!
In 2015 I was up at 7 and at work from 9 until 1, with a break until 6, and then would work until 10.
In 2016 I was ecstatic to get moved from mornings to afternoons so I could get a full night's sleep and avoid the necessary afternoon nap situation. The catch was that I still had to work until 10, shifting my body clock about 5 hours behind every once else I know. As I've been a night owl since my early teens, I was already a few hours behind everyone else.
Working until 10 for more than 2 years has made it very difficult to maintain social relationships. I know there is always the weekend, but as I've written before, I'm usually pretty socially fulfilled by my job by the time the weekend rolls around. When I had a split schedule, I was too exhausted to spend many weekends in social activities. When I got the night schedule, I found that I naturally felt like staying up until 5 or 6 on weekends, and sleeping well past noon, something I hadn't really done since I was in my early 20's. That made it hard to get up and seize the day, and my friends were usually ready to turn in much earlier than I was. When I visited home, I'd be on the exact opposite schedule of my parents. It was pretty comical how I would be returning from a starlit walk in the forests and fields at 3, 4, or later, and my father would be waking up to start the day and work in his shop. Then I would sleep the day away and they would be ready to turn in about six or seven hours after I'd gotten up. Most of my hometown friends have children (or have been early birds their whole lives), so they're more like my parents (or other 30 something's).
Thus, there are some great people I would love to get back in touch with, although I have maintained face to face relationships with a precious few.
In addition to the anticipation of catching up with old friends, I'm actually pretty giddy about all the small things. When I get out of work, the sun is still shining. In fact, a few days a week the first thing I do is move my car for street cleaning, and I can see our star sparkling on the Hudson River, a little more than an hour before sun set (my schedule changed last week, just in time for spring). I don't have to rush to buy necessities before the stores close, and I can return people's phone calls during the week, because they're not asleep when I get out of work.
Admittedly, it has been a struggle to change my body clock. I'm not an early riser, and haven't been since I was 9 years old. I've always found it much easier to just power through and stay up later, even if I'm on barely any sleep, than to wake up early and feel enthusiastic about the situation. My body is starting to figure out it should be able to fall asleep some time before 1, and hopefully, some day, well before then. That said, it's still getting confused here and there and keeping me awake, paradoxically tossing and turning while simultaneously exhausted, a few times until 2 or 3 (or 5:30 am on my first Monday night, which didn't make any sense).
That said, I'm hoping that I will adjust by the time things get really beautiful in upstate New York, and then getting up early, getting in the car, making my way to a wilderness paradise and finishing a hike before sundown will actually be feasible.
Of course, there is another aspect of this situation which is far more important than the schedule change, which is the students. I work full time in midtown now, with students who are mostly visiting the US and have the wherewithal to afford tuition in that part of town. I said a beautiful good bye to my night students on the Upper West Side, some of whom I have had the pleasure to know for more than two years. But that's another story.
Peace!
In 2015 I was up at 7 and at work from 9 until 1, with a break until 6, and then would work until 10.
In 2016 I was ecstatic to get moved from mornings to afternoons so I could get a full night's sleep and avoid the necessary afternoon nap situation. The catch was that I still had to work until 10, shifting my body clock about 5 hours behind every once else I know. As I've been a night owl since my early teens, I was already a few hours behind everyone else.
Working until 10 for more than 2 years has made it very difficult to maintain social relationships. I know there is always the weekend, but as I've written before, I'm usually pretty socially fulfilled by my job by the time the weekend rolls around. When I had a split schedule, I was too exhausted to spend many weekends in social activities. When I got the night schedule, I found that I naturally felt like staying up until 5 or 6 on weekends, and sleeping well past noon, something I hadn't really done since I was in my early 20's. That made it hard to get up and seize the day, and my friends were usually ready to turn in much earlier than I was. When I visited home, I'd be on the exact opposite schedule of my parents. It was pretty comical how I would be returning from a starlit walk in the forests and fields at 3, 4, or later, and my father would be waking up to start the day and work in his shop. Then I would sleep the day away and they would be ready to turn in about six or seven hours after I'd gotten up. Most of my hometown friends have children (or have been early birds their whole lives), so they're more like my parents (or other 30 something's).
Thus, there are some great people I would love to get back in touch with, although I have maintained face to face relationships with a precious few.
In addition to the anticipation of catching up with old friends, I'm actually pretty giddy about all the small things. When I get out of work, the sun is still shining. In fact, a few days a week the first thing I do is move my car for street cleaning, and I can see our star sparkling on the Hudson River, a little more than an hour before sun set (my schedule changed last week, just in time for spring). I don't have to rush to buy necessities before the stores close, and I can return people's phone calls during the week, because they're not asleep when I get out of work.
Admittedly, it has been a struggle to change my body clock. I'm not an early riser, and haven't been since I was 9 years old. I've always found it much easier to just power through and stay up later, even if I'm on barely any sleep, than to wake up early and feel enthusiastic about the situation. My body is starting to figure out it should be able to fall asleep some time before 1, and hopefully, some day, well before then. That said, it's still getting confused here and there and keeping me awake, paradoxically tossing and turning while simultaneously exhausted, a few times until 2 or 3 (or 5:30 am on my first Monday night, which didn't make any sense).
That said, I'm hoping that I will adjust by the time things get really beautiful in upstate New York, and then getting up early, getting in the car, making my way to a wilderness paradise and finishing a hike before sundown will actually be feasible.
Of course, there is another aspect of this situation which is far more important than the schedule change, which is the students. I work full time in midtown now, with students who are mostly visiting the US and have the wherewithal to afford tuition in that part of town. I said a beautiful good bye to my night students on the Upper West Side, some of whom I have had the pleasure to know for more than two years. But that's another story.
Peace!
