3. Write a blog post inspired by the word: sleep.
I’ve been dragging myself to the gym for a few days each week after I drop my kids off at school. I detest working out so much that even after I have all my workout gear on, I still try to talk myself out of actually working out.
Even when I’ve pulled into a parking spot, I still sit there for a solid 5-10 minutes trying to convince myself that if I want to go home and skip it altogether…I can. Because I’m an adult and I can do whatever I want now.
I haven’t yet actually left the parking lot without working out first, but the other day as I sat in my car and thought about leaving, I actually fell asleep.
I slept for a solid 25 minutes and then pulled myself to my feet for a workout. When I told my friend about it she was all, “Awww…you’re like one of those moms who doesn’t get enough sleep and just falls asleep in various places. Don’t worry, your kids will be off to college soon!”
I guess she’s under the impression that teenagers need a lot of care through the night. I told her I have actually been sleeping through the night since 2016 and that my car nap had nothing to do with them and everything to do with my body rebelling against the upcoming workout.
Yesterday when I got to the gym another car pulled up alongside me. I saw a gal fiddling inside her car and was able to exit my car before she got out. When I came back from my workout I noticed she was still in her car….sleeping.
Looks like I’m not the only one with teenagers at home.
John Holton says
Did the nap help with your workout? Just curious.
Maybe all the mental “sturm und drang” over whether or not to go in and work out wore you out and you fell asleep. Or maybe it was quiet and comfortable and by sitting there you relaxed to the point where you nodded off. I do that a lot in church, and Mary’s always jabbing me and telling me to wake up. In any event, you’ll get to a point where you welcome those intermissions in your life. Trust me on that. ;)
Mama Kat says
It was pouring rain that morning so I would say it was particularly lulling. :) I don’t think it helped the actual workout, but I did feel more energetic. Maybe I just needed a little power nap!
John Holton says
Oh, for sure, rain’ll do it every time. I sleep with rain sounds all night.
May says
My kids didn’t have to be babies for me to be sleep deprived. I didn’t doze in the gym parking lot; however, I didn’t make it through an entire movie from sometime during the first pregnancy until the third and final kid was grown and off to college! So, no judgement here!
Mama Kat says
Movies get me every time!
Wilburnanime says
alt.com
Abby says
Ha! That’s hilarious. So the gym parking lot is the new nap space?
“Where’d you go this morning?”
“To the gym!”
She’s not wrong.
Kim says
I feel your pain on detesting working out. A few years ago, I was getting some exercise by walking up and down my driveway, and that was the most fun because I listened to music. If I did that now (and I’m trying to make myself start), I guess I’d listen to a mix of music and podcasts.
But I don’t even have a gym membership anymore because the last time I had one, it was so much trouble to make myself go. And I thought about going as my son’s +1 to his gym a few times a week, but he is eventually going to get his Personal Training certification, so he is VERY into working out, and I just can’t see that foray ending well for either of us.
Michayla says
I feel I can sleep just about anywhere….if only my girls will let me.
And I love your writing prompts. I may not get around to actually writing but they are making me think.