This is late today. Not because I was busy but because I fell asleep. It was celebration sleep. I’ve been under tremendous stress for the last month: dodging paperwork mistakes, jumping through bureaucratic hoops, holding my emotions on a very tight leash, reminding myself that it is always, always okay, and then doing all of that all over again. In the background, there has been the relentless news cycle that I kept up with while not letting it get to me.

Today, a huge milestone came through. I didn’t reach it alone, it was all dependent on other people doing their part. 5 years of effort and frustration ended today. There’s still more to do, as always. But, I can actually see the light of the dawn. And what did I do? The same thing I’ve done all of my life when it’s safe. I laid down and slept.

Celebration sleep. It’s probably the best sleep in the world. It feels like I’ve set down a stone that I had become so used to bearing that I didn’t realize how heavy it really was. When holding something very heavy for a long time and then you set it down, your arms can feel like they want to float. That’s celebration sleep. It’s body, soul and mind gratitude. My heart wants to float. My mind is suddenly free of all the worries I’ve been shushing. My body is still broken from long Covid but it’s not holding stress as well. Gratitude for the moment and I have a lot of it.

I wish every one some celebration sleep. Don’t give up. Keep your balance. Trust the universe/God and yourself to stand up one more time and take just one more wobbly step. The dawn will always come.