Walk a Mile in My Shoes

   The topic for this post came to me earlier today. I was remembering what it is like to work nights, as my beloved Hubs still is. For a long time, we both were working nights, he was Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and I was Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. We alternated working Saturday nights. We worked this schedule because our son was still little, and this way one of us was always home with him. We didn't want to have to hire a sitter.

   Working at night is difficult, to say the least. It took me, literally, three years to get used to it. I worked my last night job for fourteen years. Hubs has been working nights for about thirteen years now. He is still adjusting. It totally fracks up your whole body, all of your systems get out of whack.

   But the worst part? Most people just don't get it. They insist on calling you when you are trying to sleep, even though you've explained to them, more than once, that you sleep from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Or thereabouts. I never slept for more than five hours when I was working. Hubs used to sleep from 8 to 4, but now it's less than that.

   I have to say that most of the world functions from 9 to 5, five days a week. Most of these people can not even fathom that someone might work an alternate schedule. But you know what? Those of us who do, or did, work nights did it for a reason. For me, it was for the extra money. That's right, they pay you more to work at night. Sometimes as much as 15% more.

   And there is usually much less stress working at night. All the big shots, and engineers, and those kinds of people work regular hours, 9 to 5 ish. So they were usually well and gone before we got there at 6 p.m. No big shots mucking up the works, no engineers wandering in, interrupting your work with their experiments.

   I used to have these fantasies about calling people at 1 or 2 a.m. and seeing how they like having their sleep disturbed. I'd ask them stupid questions, saying I just wanted to see how they are doing, etc. Do you think they might get the hint?

   It's even worse when it's your own management that doesn't get it. They schedule meetings, that you are required to attend, on your days off or during your sleep hours on days during your work week. Can you say "DUH" boys and girls?

   But it comes with the territory, and I guess it's our own fault because we chose to work this shift. But a little understanding goes a looooong way.  It also helps to have a blog where you get to vent on occasion.

   So those of you with friends or family who work nights, take pity of them. It's very difficult, and they are probably tired all the time as well as occasionally cranky. If they have asked you not to call at certain times, please do not call. trust me, they will appreciate it.