7 november

This morning, with the popular portion of the election safely past (and by popular, you know I mean both “the part where all the people vote” and “the part that average people care about and pay a speck of attention to”), I stayed in bed. And stayed in bed. It was delicious.

Really, the planned work of my day didn’t amount to much, compared to the work of most, well, workers, but the pleasure of staying in bed while the sun carried on with its business was really quite enjoyable. At various times in my life, I’ve found it difficult to stay in bed too long, but if pressed, I couldn’t identify any of those times specifically.

In Ukraine, sleep was one of my greatest pleasures. I’d like to delete that, for how selfish it looks. To clarify hastily, I can easily explain that I mean this beyond the company of friends and the positivity of good works. I guess I mean that sleep was one of my most enjoyed vices, if that can be said. Watch out for that one—she likes to sleep!

Sure, I like to eat. That’s a dangerous vice. During my time in Ukraine I lost and gained all kinds of weight. Running, hibernating, working at camps, working through depression, celebrating good and eating through bad—eating isn’t something you can rely on to keep secrets. Sleeping doesn’t care. Even if you sleep twelve hours, you can still fit into the same clothes.

The big one: I don’t really drink. Before I went to Ukraine, I never ever drank alcohol. About a year in, I decided I would, occasionally, as more of a cultural immersion. I never got drunk, never went crazy. Did I miss out? Sleeping doesn’t make you lose control, throwing up on your friends at the disco, in the parking lot, and in the taxi. It’s true, with sleeping, you could wake up next to someone and wonder what happened, but if you were sleeping and not drinking, you don’t have quite as much to worry about.

Plus, I spent most of my time in Ukraine either in a long-distance relationship or single but leaving, neither situation entirely conducive to setting up a meaningful start-up dialogue of the sort I’d be into. “Hey, I’m Melissa. I’m not going to be around for that long, and I’m not really into anything meaningless, so…?” Sleep isn’t disappointed by the lack of potential in your relationship. Sleep isn’t looking for anything more than you have to give, right then and there. If you decide you’re interested in more, that’s great—it’s a relationship with plenty of room for growth.