COUNTING SHEEP TO STAY AWAKE

There are several things that I have promised my self I would never, EVER do.

I would never take illegal drugs - I saw what it did to my older brother.

I took my last alcoholic drink in 1974 - I saw what it had done to my older sister.

I would never get addicted to painkillers or prescription drugs - ditto my mom.

I would never allow myself to be romantically involved with Richard Nixon (just to see if you are paying attention still).

And I would never ever ever fall asleep at the wheel.  It always seemed ludicrous that people could drive past the point of safety, fall asleep at the wheel and crash and burn (or worse, cause someone ELSE to crash and burn).

I mean, aren't people smart enough to know they are falling asleep?!

I had almost done it once before. I had driven from Michigan back to where I was going to college in Provo, Utah. I was twenty  minutes from home - twenty minutes - and I was exhausted and weary but also dying to get to my own bed for the first time in weeks.

I, thank goodness, finally realized that I was beyond any kind of state to be driving - forced myself to drive to the edge of the road and closed my eyes for 10 minutes... and then drove the rest of the way home without harming myself or anyone else.

However, TODAY....

I don't even really have a good excuse. I hadn't slept really well the night before, but I knew Joy and I had to be up in Tucson before 10:30 - so I was yawning and stretching and driving, and almost before I knew it....

... I MUST have actually gone into one of those micro-sleep moments. Because then I felt completely awake, like I had just gotten up after a good night's sleep.




So the question is - since I drove the rest of the way up there and back completely alert and safe and good driving and all that - maybe falling asleep at the wheel is a GOOD thing?!