The Allure of the 'Burbs

I've been a city-dweller for over 10 years.

And I love it, mostly.  I love not having a car, I love the pace, the adrenaline, the ever-available distractions, the bragging rights (look, I made it here so I can make it anywhere, or so I've been told), the diversity, the history, the bagels, the bars, the street carts, the characters, the sights, and the sounds.

Except...maybe not the sounds.  Maybe I'm not as immune to the sirens and horn-honks and shouts and calls and clanks as I'd like to think.  And maybe the bright lights of Broadway are exciting, but there's also something to be said for the dark stillness of that street where I grew up.

Stephen Colbert once remarked "If you can’t get it at midnight in New York, it probably doesn’t exist."

He's mostly correct, with the possible exceptions of "quiet" and "dark."  Those two commodities are awfully hard to come by at midnight in the city.

All this to say: I slept amazingly well in the suburbs this week.

And I may be in the market for blackout curtains and a white noise machine.

Day-Dreamin'

Dear You,

Yeah, you. I see you there, sleeping.

On the one hand, I admire your moxie and your commitment to rest, even in the middle of a work day. On the other hand...dude. You’re lying in shrubbery.

I checked to see if you were breathing (you were) and if there were any signs of distress (nada), so I’m assuming you chose this specific nap-time pose, rather than merely collapsing there after a fight, or bender, or heart-attack.

You must have really needed your rest, because there was a lady standing not 20 feet away from us, carrying on a very animated conversation on her cell phone. And though she was screaming f-bombs (in both verb and adjective forms), you barely stirred. Your dreams must have been more colorful than her language.

As I was (shamelessly) snapping this photo, a teenager walked by, looking at me looking at you. She laughed and loudly declared, “Damn, she’s taking his picture!” I thought for sure that would rouse you, but no – you slept on.

You were still sleeping when I finished my lunch and stood to leave.

I tip my (proverbial) hat to you, Sleeping Lunchtime Guy. Though I bet the park’s gardeners were less than thrilled by your choice of pillow.

Bonne nuit,
KW

That's a New One

I'll admit it: I'm a subway-sleeper. I fall asleep while riding the subway. Often.

I'm kind of like a baby - put me in a moving vehicle (any moving vehicle - trains, cars, busses, planes) and I'm rendered nearly powerless to stay awake. And so my eyes close and I take a little involuntary siesta.

I'm pretty good at it, too. I can fall asleep to the point of dreaming, and yet I almost never miss my stop on the train. Have to include that "almost" qualifier, because I did miss my stop...once. And that was a doozy, because I ended up in a shady part of Washington Heights at 2am as a result. But it all turned out ok. So yeah....I'm pretty good.

Also have to include that "pretty" qualifier, because recently I did engage in some subway-sleeping which was not so great. In short: I fell asleep standing up on the R-train one night, frightening the passenger who was sitting in front of me, and (probably) nearly causing bodily harm to both her and myself. An isolated incident, though, and it all turned out ok. Trust me, kids: I know what I'm doing. I've been cat-napping on subways for eight years.

And yet - I've never gone this far:

This guy came prepared for a serious nap, with that little manly-man eye mask he's sporting. Spotted him this morning during my commute. I admired his chutzpah. I admired his commitment to sleep. I admired the fact that he clearly doesn't care what others might be thinking of him, nor that bratty fellow passengers might be snapping his picture on their camera phone to later post on the world wide web. No, he's beyond such petty considerations. He's living the dream, catching some ZZZZ's on the R-train. Way to go, subway-guy!

You are my Hero of the Day.

She Makes the Connection

After spending all week plagued by un-productivity (uh- what word am I looking for there?) I realized today that perhaps my lack of sleep might have something to do with my lack of production. I've been getting about 5 hrs of sleep per night since Sunday (and for no good reason, really).

You mean I actually need to be well-rested in order to think, function, produce, create?

Yes, yes - just maybe. Why is this point so hard to drive home? Why don't I believe it enough to make sleep a priority? If only I feared lack of sleep as much as I fear revolving doors, E.T., spiders, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and the Big C (as in Chow Yun-Fat), things might be different.

Sigh.

Wanted

I need an alarm clock that doesn't take 'no' for an answer.

One that pinches me if I start in on any of that "5-minutes-more" foolishness.

Yes, a clock that uses physical force if necessary.

Perhaps it should even get snarky and ridicule me a little.

Call me names and prey on deep insecurities.

(though NOT in a way that makes me want crawl back under the covers!)
(in a way that gets me angry & awake & ready to prove the clock wrong.)

Speaking of covers, this alarm clock should have the capability to steal them from me.

Above all, it should instill FEAR in me.

(Maybe by threatening to release a mouse in my room if I don't get out of bed immediately)


Does such a device exist? I'm going to check the Sharper Image catalogue now.

On Sleeping & Screaming
1) Sleeping: If you have 5 minutes, I highly recommend you check out this article by one of my favorite (non-fiction) writers, Lauren Winner. Entitled "Sleep Therapy," the article explores sleep as a counter-cultural discipline, and theorizes what a lack of sleep means for society, in general, and the Christian, in particular.

Those of you who know me know of my perennial struggle with the Snooze button - the temptation of which magically decreases in proportion to the amount of sleep I get. The more I sleep at night, the less I need to snooze in the morning. I know this, but I don't live it. And thus I am late to work, less productive, and on and on. So 2006: hear me now! I am resolving to sleep through you. Because as Lauren writes, "to sleep, long and soundly, is to place our trust not in our own strength and hard work, but in Him without whom we labor in vain."

2) Screaming: Speaking of trusting in our own strength, I wanted to share a point from the sermon this morning at the Village Church. Rev. Sam spoke on chapter 8 of the Gospel of Mark. I often quote Mark 8:33 ("Get behind me, Satan!") in semi-jest, such as when certain nay-sayers belittle my professional figure-skating aspirations. But taken in context, Jesus' words to his disciple, Simon Peter, are rather harsh and shocking. What was so upsetting to Jesus that it caused him to liken his friend to "Satan"?

Jesus had just revealed to his disciples that the "Son of Man must suffer....be killed and...rise again." And hearing this, Peter began to rebuke Jesus. His words aren't recorded in Mark, but the Gospel of Matthew tells us that what Peter said was essentially, "No way, man! That's not going to happen to you!" (free translation :)

Why was Peter's attitude so troubling to Jesus? Maybe because he was trusting in chariots and horses (Psalm 20:7), trusting in his own strength. This is the same Peter who will pull a sword to try to prevent Jesus' arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Did he think that by might, he could prevent the inevitable Passion? In Mark 8, Jesus accuses him of not having "in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

This idea of human sufficiency and self-reliance must certainly be a very bad, no good thing, to warrant such harsh words from Jesus. Why? Because those who are self-reliant have a hard time recognizing their need for a savior. Thus human self-sufficiency is a useful tool for Satan, because it can keep us from Jesus like nothing else.

"And yet," Rev. Sam asked, "Wasn't self-sufficiency and 'believing in yourself' the message of the last heart-warming Disney movie you saw?" Aren't these ideas valued by our society? Aren't they the stuff of the American dream?

Like getting enough sleep, the decision to not rely on your own strength is indeed counter-cultural. If we're watching a movie that encourages us to believe in ourselves, because the key to success lies within each and every one of us, well, Rev. Sam said, "We ought to be running from the theater, screaming in terror." (that's a funny mental image, eh?) The trap of self-reliance should terrify us, because it keeps us from daily declaring our need for Jesus.

Personally, I rely on my own strength at work every day. I have trouble admitting weaknesses, and I don't ask for God's wisdom and strength as often or as urgently as I should. I try to do it all on my own. So tomorrow, when I start to feel myself fall into the trap, I'm going to run screaming from my office. Or......maybe I'll just go to the bathroom and pray. :)