One of my students stayed late after martial arts class last night and vented to me about many of the life problems they’re facing.
All justifiable ventings, too. This wasn’t complaining or gossip.
Towards the end, after about 30-minutes of sharing heavy, grief-causing, out-of-their-control life situations… they made one final comment about their cats.
…And how on top of everything else they had just mentioned, the damn cats won’t let them sleep.
If they’re locked out of the room, they’ll paw the bottom of the door and rattle it and mew until they’re let in.
If they’re let in, they’ll knock stuff over, crawl all over them while they’re sleeping, and mew before the sun comes up because they want to be fed.
To which I said, you know what?
…This is something you shouldn’t compromise on.
And if that means fixing the door so it doesn’t rattle… using ear plugs… getting a white noise machine… and locking the cats out of the room… then so be it.
Life is hard enough as is.
As was evidently outlined in the 30-minute vent session leading up to this point.
But what makes life absolutely intolerable and miserable is being intolerant and miserable because of an ongoing lack of sleep.
If you’re going to take on the relentless and unforgiving blows of life… the least you can do is get a full night of sleep so you can take it on with a full energy charge.
…Or at least do everything in your power to facilitate it.
…Starting, yes, with the cats.