Nighty Night Shift

July 26th, 2015 Tags: The Prayer Prescription Series
Posted in Prayer Prescription Series

Working the night shift, as I have, has been a wonderful exercise in letting go of Circadian Rhythms and creating my own rhythm. By changing my perspective in this way, the night has become my familiar, a kind of safe haven in the routine of life.

Night shift has the unusual capacity, as far as nursing goes, to create a camaraderie of helpers who pitch in and get the job done efficiently.

Nights in our Labor and Delivery unit was where the action was sans administration, or ancillary staff or even doctors who for the most part, try and get some sleep.
The nurses are the people who must pull it all together and so, we do.
We were not permitted to sleep and disciplinary action was taken if someone in authority, who as I said, was not generally anywhere to be found, found one of us dozing.

I wrote another article about the one second power nap which is an art and a skill.
Generally, I place my left hand on my forehead and lean over my chart with pen poised as if ready to make a carefully thought out note. The sleep that takes place is deep and sometimes a vivid dream fleetingly coincides with reality.

Sometimes I speak silently to my dead father or mother who appear lucidly during this brief moment of rest. It’s always surprising to see them and I welcome their ephemeral presence.

As the night gives way to the early morning hours, we all get a little silly. Someone breaks into a prolonged giggle and a contagion overtakes the rest of us.
Barriers break down. Vulnerabilities surface.

For instance, if a doctor was rude to one of us, I always found myself calling that person an “idiot” when at any other time of day, I would show respectful constraint.  After all, the so called idiot was undoubtedly punch drunk from lack of sleep, too.

The moment that required the most of any of us was the change of shift report.
Many times, the people coming on were not happy about something. Here the night shift/day shift dichotomy surfaces. Let’s face it, night shifters have more fun. We are gleeful, childlike and somewhat drunk from lack of sleep.

The day shifters are often glum and yes, resentful because we are leaving and they are not?

Because we are uncontrolled in our hilarity?

Because we get paid at least $1.50 more an hour?

Because we are about to experience the full cyclic beauty of the day at hand?

No matter why. Suffice to say, the vibrations at change of shift are a blip in an otherwise glorious night and day. If I don’t have to return to work, I sleep deeply a few hours and arise in a full throttle goofing off mood. I hang out with my dogs.

I write to my Internet friends who are involved in Internet Marketing, as I am. Often we give one another advice as to how to proceed with our various projects.
I’ll do a little cleaning and a few loads of wash, or weeding or mowing or gardening.
Or I’ll write a few hours. The pen is mightier than the sword.

The most important ingredient to all of this is pure and unadulterated fun: Fun in the full glory of the present moment. Fun in the practice of the various spiritual disciplines I know for daily ritual throughout day and night.

Meditation makes it possible to sleep less so I practice that twice a day, in this post meditation era.

Night shift has allowed me to take my Internet Business to the next level, which seems to be revolving around the business of book writing, radio show hosting, podcasting, blogging and promoting.

I could not do this working a day shift nursing job because the “time” simply isn’t available as it magically is now.

Night shift has opened my mind to new possibilities. I only began to start working this shift two years after I turned 50. For most of my life I kept in synch with most of the people of the world, all of us marching in step with one another and the so called Circadian Rhythm that science tells us we dare not impede.

Science also tells us that night shifters have twice the breast cancer rate as day shifters.

I say the opposite is true, for me.

I love working nights. I love the rhythm of the night when I work or have the night off.

I love my one second power naps! I love the moon in all of her phases, the crickets in late summer, the trees in all the seasonal stages.

When I lived a day shift kind of existence, my mind was closed to all the creative potential of my own mind.

Night shift opened the window of dormant capabilities and allowed the music of the soul to come alive.

So many suffer when confronted with the rigors of night shift’s truth on the body, mind and spirit. But it truly has been a gift for me.

To all the other nurses who also love it: I salute you and have an eternal bond with all of you.

Blessings also to the day shift for keeping the wheels of commerce turning.