Eight Hours of Anything.

Last night, after my third trip to the bathroom and my capitulation to the awesomeness that is Mucinex because I just couldn't breathe, I realized that I cherish and miss getting 8 hours' of sleep.  At this point, I'd settle for 4, but either my nose, the baby, or my bladder wakes me up every 2 hours.  As I was lying awake, I realized there are many things I no longer do for 8 hours.

Work.  Seriously, how screwed would I be if I was trying to work through this?  I can't even do more than 2-4 hours' housecleaning without getting tired.  I'm sitting here avoiding going downstairs because the moment I do I will feel guilty that my Christmas decorations are still up. (Ed:  They're down now, and sitting in front of the attic crawlspace where they normally live.  I'm just exhausted by the idea of hauling them INTO the crawlspace.)

Travel.  Gone are the days when Ivan and I could hop in the car for 12 hours and stop only for fuel.  On our trip to FL, I knew I would need to stop every few hours.  What I didn't know is that without those stops, I would be a morass of pain and swelling.  It was awesome to use Roger as an excuse to get out and work my legs.

Shopping.  It's not just the walking around and putting things in a cart or taking them out or trying on clothes or whatnot.  It's the people.  They exhaust me.  At the grocery store, I heard a lady say, "If we're in danger from global warming, how come it's so cold?"  I wanted to smack her with a loaf of garlic bread.

Sitting.  Seriously?  Seriously.  I used to sit at a desk (or in my studio) for loooong hours at a time, getting up only to get more coffee or  walk to someone's office.  Now if I don't get up from the computer or the kitchen chair or wherever I'm currently ensconced every hour or so, my ass feels like it's being manually flattened from the sheer weight of the rest of my body.

Socializing.  I felt so bad on our trip to FL that I was a lousy guest.  It seemed like I couldn't function in polite company without a nap.  After a few hours I just felt kinda spaced out and stupid.

I promise I won't do too many complaint entries, but I really am dumbfounded by the difference 20 years' time makes in my energy and activity level.  I played volleyball the weekend before I gave birth to Kate.  Now, I'd probably get winded watching volleyball.

I'm sure the weather isn't helping, and I know I will feel better once we get our house rearranging done, so that I'll have a dedicated workout area that does not require me moving several heavy pieces of furniture every time I want to exercise.  Stay tuned.