This morning, my alarm woke me up at about five minutes to seven. I hopped out of bed, and rushed to get out the door as quickly as possible to make it to church for the 7:15 Mass.

This was far from my normal morning routine but the fact is that I’d slept less than two hours in the last 24, having worked the night shift until 5 a.m.

Sr. Elaine had offered the day before that she could watch the desk for me in the morning (while I went to Mass) because she would be attending Mass in the evening.

I stopped over quickly at St. Anne’s, however, to confirm that this was still the plan.

As I headed for the door, to go back out into the pouring rain, I mentioned to her that I would be walking rather than biking. I did not trust myself to operate a vehicle (be it only a bike). “It’s like I’d been drinking,” I told her, as we exchanged chuckles.

(Maybe I should have staggered or zigzagged out of the lobby to prove the point.)

The rain had started already the evening before. After doing some reading and prayers in chapel, I had intended to go back to the convent. I was tired, and wouldn’t mind an early night. However, when I noticed the intense lightning, I was concerned. I didn’t care to get struck so I stayed indoors to safely wait out the storm.

During that time, our evening receptionist received a phone call from one of the night workers; she was having car trouble and wouldn’t be able to make it in. No one else was available to fill her place, so I ended up working the shift.

I must say, I halfway enjoyed the night. It was quiet, peaceful, and everybody got along beautifully. If it weren’t for the strange feeling coming from sleep deprivation, I could see how a person could really like this not-so-popular shift.

Sometimes people have made derogatory remarks about the night staff, insinuating that they don’t do a good job, etc. However, having worked with our “night owls” numerous times, I have come to have a great respect and appreciation for what they do. They have been kind to me and put up with my lack of knowledge and numerous questions; For this I am grateful.

I will be grateful, too, later today, for the opportunity to get a bit more sleep. Then, this funny, hazy feeling should leave me, my thinking should be more sharp, and no one should get the impression that I’ve had “a few too many.”

(Please pardon any errors: This was written Saturday morning on very little sleep.)