sleep

I'm sitting in Courthouse Coffee watching cars go by and wishing I could lay down on one of these plush couches.  Unfortuantley, doing so would be very inappropriate.  My need for sleep has led me to think about one of the best nights of sleep I ever had.  For the most part my sleep does cause me to feel rested upon waking.  However, I have not had a night of sleep like that of four years ago.  

During the Summer of 2004 I was serving as a counselor at Camp Mundo Vista and it was my second summer on staff.  The first week at camp consisted of training and preparing for campers.  Many late nights were put into decorating the cabin and getting to know fellow staffers.  The second week at camp for staffers was the first week of campers.  Looking back, it was around this time of the month.  I remember the first week of camp being full of joy and anticipation.  As a veteran counselor, I thought I had most situations under control.  I knew how most 9-12 year old girls would react to being away from home.  I could handle "IT", "Happy's", and anything else the week through at me.  The first week of camp, for me, was good training in itself.  As a staff we were able to work out the kinks in order for the rest of the summer to flow well.  Light's out were at 10:00 PM for the campers, but it was always an hour or so later that they actually went to sleep.  The wake-up time for the girls was about 7:00 AM--of course, it took them a while to actually make it out of the bed.  I would wake up 45 minutes earlier to take a shower and get ready.  There was no way I could get ready when the girls woke up.  A day at camp is action filled and the only time I was away from the girls was about an hour and a half when I had a break.  There wasn't much napping during the day, but there was always a lot of action.  When the girls left on Friday of the first week, I was tired but I kept pushing myself.  We had to clean camp before any of us could leave.  That Friday evening, some of us staffers left camp for a few hours.  It was so nice to get away and actually see other living breathing adults.  I slept well that Friday night.  That Saturday, I washed clothes and hung out most of the day.  What I remember most, was that evening.  By 8:00 PM the week had finally caught up with me--I was extremely exhausted.  I remember making a phone call and at 8:30 I could no longer open my eyes.  My roommate had went home for the weekend and the cabin was empty.  I turned on the AC and my fan.  I turned out the lights, and pulled the covers over my head.  I was out in no time.  I honestly did not move until about 8:30 the next morning.  I woke up feeling refreshed.    It was truly the best night of sleep I ever had.  How I wish I could sleep like that again.  I miss camp, and I miss that night of sleep.  When I think about that wonderful night of sleep, I smile--it was special.  I hope to experience another night of sleep like that, but it will never be as special as that night...I think it's because I was at camp.