I woke up this morning at 3:30 and couldn’t go back to sleep. I certainly tried but thinking got in the way.

Of course, most of the thinking was work-related. Out of the blue a valued employee gave two weeks notice and I have to begin the hiring process. A focus group to study one of our publications is coming up. And, Friday I finished applying for a creative writing fellowship terribly close to deadline. Then, there’s the day-to-day stuff. I couldn’t shake any of it.

I had insomnia Monday night, too. That time I blame it on the full moon because I wasn’t the only one to suffer through it. People much younger than I dragged themselves to work, complaining about not being able to fall asleep — I was in that category — or waking up hours too early. We had enough insomniacs that day to form a support group.

Normally, I sleep very well, so these occasional restless nights are an annoyance. But today, a Saturday, there were advantages. I found enough hot coals in the wood stove to start a fire easily. The cat was happy to get an early meal. I watched the sun rise from my office window. And, I got an early start on writing.