Dog Tired On Hump Day

Currently on day three of not much sleep. The dog for the past three nights has had little to no interest in staying in bed when we go to sleep. He’ll hover for a minute or two, then jump down and go to the bedroom door and scratch as if he wants to go out. I’m thinking its because the last three nights it’s been one fireworks extravaganza after another till 10, 11 pm. Then he’s so worked up that all he wants to do is roam the house and not lay down. The only way he will lay down is if I lay out on the couch in the living room, then he’ll jump up and lay down. But by then it’s already 1:30 in the morning and I’m three hours away from having to get up for work.

While Sunday and Monday nights he eventually settled down and slept in our bed, last night was a no go. My son had some people over earlier in the night, so I think that ramped the dog up. There was fireworks, plus strange people in the basement hanging out that he may or may not have heard. Whatever it was he wouldn’t lay down for anything. It was almost 2 am when I came out into the living room with him. My son met me at my bedroom door and I said “What?” He said he was going to grab the dog’s bed and put it in the living room. I was exhausted and angry and told him I’m laying on the couch with him because he won’t lay down and that friends being over during the work week is a big no from now on.

I said it probably sounding like a maniac, and afterwards I instantly had regret. Between my son’s girlfriend still staying with us and his job I don’t get to see him nearly as much as I used to, so to have an interaction like that with him in a dark hallway at 1:30 am doesn’t sit well with me. I’m overly tired and feel sort of helpless at the moment. When you’re exhausted helpless plays a big role in your existence. I wanted to apologize, but instead I let him walk quietly to his room and I laid angrily on the couch, coaxing the insomniac dog up next to me.

If I got three hours of actual sleep I’d be shocked.

I’m hoping and praying to the Monty Python paper cutout God in the sky that things will improve from here on out. The patriotic “blow shit up” excitement is hopefully waning now that we’ve made it to July 5th. And I’m starting to wonder if the weekend as a whole was just too much for our elder pooch. With a house full of family and friends from 1 pm to 3 pm on Saturday for my son’s open house; then another minor houseful on Sunday for my mom’s 74th birthday, I’m thinking it was just sensory overload for Mr. Pooch McGooch. I mean, as I type this on the couch in the living room after finally saying screw it at 4:10 am and got up for coffee and a shower, my four-legged friend lies next to me snoring away. I mean, why wouldn’t he be? He’s got to be exhausted. Just like me.

Now that I think about it, maybe the weekend was a little too much for me as well. I’m not used to crowds in general, let alone in my living room. I’m not what you’d call the consummate host. I’m a private person and value low key. Juggling twelve conversations at the same time is not a skill I possess, yet there I was going from group to group attempting my best socializing. I was already worried how everything would turn out on Saturday, and I was also worried about how the dog would be with so many people in the house. He did okay, though we gave him some puppy CBD “chill out” chews to help. I think they did help, as at one point he just plopped down in the middle of the living room and took a nap. Impressive given the people traffic coming in and out.

I don’t know.

I’m a great sleeper. Like, a night of insomnia is few a far between for me. My mom and my brother, on the other hand, don’t sleep all that well. My dad is a good sleeper, so maybe I take after him. But after three days of not getting much sleep I can see where this could be one of those life-changing problems. This is no good. No bueno. I value my sleep. I require it with all that I do. I need the rest because I’m the shopper, cook, house cleaner, and general problem-solving guy in the house. I can juggle all that because I sleep well. Right now I feel mildly sick due to these last few nights, stomach wobbly, head floaty, and just a general sense of dread. I do not like this feeling. Exhaustion is not a good fit for me. Or for anyone, I would imagine.

Okay, that’s enough of me whining. Had time before work to spill the beans on my last three sleepless nights, so I wanted to share with the world. Here’s to the day going quickly and painlessly. And maybe a good night’s sleep tonight.

Hump Day, here we come.