A Life Lesson

It has been hot here. I am talking over 100 degrees daily. March and April are always like this. I have known that it is hot up here. When I lived in Accra I knew it...but to experience it on a daily basis is a different thing. To live in it is a different thing.I am usually the queen of sleep. Anytime, anywhere, I can fall asleep. I think it's a gift. It is wonderful, I don't take it for granted. Since the beginning of March my sleep has become not so gifted (or is it me who is losing her gift?). The nights are too hot. There is a rare breeze. Yes, I have a fan but it just blows the warm air around. It is like the air that comes out of your car heater in the winter. It is that warm. Not so good for sleeping.But I can do this. I can force myself to fall asleep...well...some nights. And WOW do I wake up cranky after a night where I don't fall asleep until 2 am. It has not helped me in language learning. Let me be really honest and tell you when I was in a yellow-yellow around 4pm heading for a language lesson I just wanted to weep. I didn't want to go. I was so tired. But I felt like a wus if I didn't go. (I did go) I haven't been speaking much because, well, for one, I am not good, and two I am too tired to think. And then I get angry at myself and march back home trying to get away from even more heat. Ugh. I am not napping during the day. I have no caffeine or sugar going into my body. There is no reason for me not to sleep. I usually read a slow book to fall asleep and then when my eyes are closing, I slowly put my kindle down...and sleep...NOT! WHAMMO! My eyes bug open and I practically drum my fingers. What is up with that??With it being so hot, though, I am learning how to deal. So, I would like to share with you my little night time routine.It all starts around 8pm where I shower or bucket shower depending on if we have water.Then I get into bed with the fan on high.I also need to have a towel which I put under my neck so I don't ruin my pillow and pillowcase with all my sweat. Necks really sweat! Who knew!?And last but not least I get a water bottle which I have put in the freezer in the morning and I hold on to it.Now, maybe you are thinking that I may spoil my mattress with all the water. I thought so too. And just to be safe I try to only soak the front of my pj's and I hold the ice bottle on my belly. But usually any water dries so fast that I no longer worry about mold or whatever growing in my mattress. And if it does, well, so be it.So, these are little life lessons on how to sleep in hot weather.Please be praying for me. It is so hot here to go out and sit with people and I make excuses. I. can. do. it. Don't feel sorry for me. Even right now, I am thinking to myself, "plan out where you will go, who will you visit" so that I can be ready and get thru it. It should be a somewhat distraction-less week. A great week to learn Dagbani. Let me say that again, A Great Week To Learn Dagbani!!!Love You.