Why do I burn my midnight oil each night?

A 7am wake up call turns into 8am. The rushed urgency to brush and be ready. A cup of coffee, no! A cup of warm water. Gulp it down. Stare out the window, catch the sunlight and the church tower on the hill. Smile. A good way to start the day, even if the quiet moment is for 30 seconds!

The next four hours go in back-to-back meetings, context switching with no reprieve of even a few seconds of walking to and from meeting rooms. Here, these days, it's slouching on a chair or the couch with your laptop on the coffee table and a headset that stays right where you put it. On your ears. The only view is staring at the laptop screen while your mind runs a million miles per hour: sorting, processing, juggling, showing up and handling it all.

Before I know it, it's half-past one!

Maybe that's why in the wee hours of the day after the chores for the day/night are done, I slip in some much needed time. Reading a novel I picked from the library downstairs or catching (streaming!) a rerun or the latest episode of a show, pushing the limits saying, 'Just one more!' Is it ever just one more?

What is it about pushing our sleep time to squeeze in something we wouldn't normally have time to get done on a normal day? Does it enable us to have the same rush as sneaking around? Does it only impact certain personality types over others? I do know there's no point and when my alarm goes off at 7am, I'm gonna growl and wince and barely be able to open my eyes but for me, it's these moments that make me feel alive. That makes me feel like I'm living my life.