Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: SNOOZE (07/20/17)
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TITLE: Nine More Minutes | Previous Challenge Entry
By Judy Sauer
07/26/17 -
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Nine more precious minutes of sleep…
“Dang it!” he mumbled as another noise blared moments later—this time from the end of the bed—and it required him to get up. He dragged his limp body out of bed as gravity sucked one leg and then the other before the carpet caressed his feet. In a stupor, he struggled to stand. Hunchbacked, he staggered to the chest of drawers and smacked the second noise box.
Nine more treasured minutes of sleep…
He returned to bed and fell face down onto the pillow. The events of his imminent day raced through his mind and provoked his slumber. Go back to sleep!
From the opposite corner of the bed, a third device screamed. Yet again, he hauled himself out of bed. This time gravity took its toll; he slid too far and his butt landed on the carpet. He climbed back up to his feet. That noise needs to stop!
As he rounded the corner of his bed, he cried out when his right shin whacked into the bed frame. A sudden, sharp pain took away his breath. “Ow, that hurt!” he cried as he rubbed the injured leg. He stumbled back to bed where he threw himself into a cocoon of bed covers.
Nine more cherished minutes of sleep…
Each contraption was perfectly timed so the delayed sounds repeated. Alex needed six alarms to be blasted awake and get readied to start his day.
He was not a morning person.
The “Your boss is calling. Your boss is calling,” ringtone bellowed from the cell phone.
With a garbled voice, he managed a wilted, “Hello.”
“Alex, where are you?” asked his manager, Lauren. “The presentation starts in five minutes. You’re the lead on this thing.”
“Oh man,” he blurted and sat straight up. I’ll be there in ten minutes, tops.” A quick wash-up will have to do. He hurried in such haste that the lights were left on in the apartment.
“There you are. Why are you… Oh never mind. You’re here. I delayed the presentation by fifteen minutes. They’re all wound up on caffeine now. You look like caffeine is calling your name too.”
“Yeah, I sure could use a cup.” I need caffeine. I need caffeine. I hate mornings, encircled his thoughts as he rushed to the break room.
When the presentation ended, Lauren asked, “Why do you look so disheveled today? Not your best look. You’ve been late a lot lately. What gives?”
“I’m sorry, Lauren. I won’t let it happen again,” he said.
“You need to get here earlier. We have many projects that need your full attention.”
“I know.”
He walked down the hall and stopped a co-worker. “Hey, Jill,” Alex said. “I’ve asked for prayers before. Could you be a prayer warrior again for me?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“It’s hard for me to wake up. I get here later than I’m supposed to, and Lauren has noticed. Even with three clocks that buzz at different times, it’s a real struggle to wake up.”
“I can certainly pray for you. The first thought that went through my mind, though, was, do you have a sleep disorder, like sleep apnea? That affects how groggy someone can be when they wake up,” Jill said.
“Been meaning to talk to my doctor about this. Thanks for the prayers, and the thought. I’ll call my doctor now. Have a good day,” as he rushed to his cubicle and reached for the phone.
After a sleep study, Alex was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. He noticed a big difference in the quality of his sleep—and how refreshed he felt in the morning—since he started the CPAP. He no longer needed three clocks; just one. Because he was up early now, he had time to spend with God before he headed to the office.
He stopped by Jill’s cubicle. “Hey, there. I want to thank you. Turns out I have sleep apnea. Now I’m fixed up with a machine, and I sleep well. I only use one clock now, and no more snoozing for me.”
“That’s great news,” Jill said. "We can thank the Holy Spirit for putting that thought in my mind."
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Life is what you make it: If you snooze, you lose; and if you snore, you lose more.
-Phyllis George
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Author’s Notes:
CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machines help a person who has obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) breathe more easily during sleep. A CPAP machine increases air pressure in the throat so that the airway doesn't collapse when the person breathes in.
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