Nocturnally Normal
Hi, guys. I'd like to introduce you to guest blogger, author and friend of mine, Jo Rodrigues who's kindly wrote a piece on a different kind of normal.
Many thanks, Jo, and over to you ...
Nocturnally Normal
A guide to being a different kind of normal
Normal, adjective
According to rule without deviation from the standard;
Conforming, regular, typical, ordinary, conventional;
Well-adjusted mentally;
Functioning regularly;
Physically or mentally sound.
Most societal norms and customs are put into place to control the masses. They assist in aligning the population through ideals, and perceived morals and standards. Anyone who does not conform is shunned, and the social pressure mounts to bring the ‘lost sheep’ back into the flock.
You may not like it, and you may not agree, but peer pressure is one of the best forms of crowd control, which is why it’s implemented in the first place. It can’t be bad if everyone says so — right? Similarly, we are told what is ‘normal’, and what is an ‘abomination’. The reality is that these ideals are all subjective. We should learn to be wonderful individuals, rather than conforming ‘normalists’.
As a child, I was a somnambulist, and quite nocturnal too. It was a rather odd combination. I would be sent to bed, but I wasn’t ready to slip into peaceful sleep. Regular nightmares also played a role in my avoidance of sleep.
Instead, I would sit up reading under the covers with a torch. It wasn’t out of rebellion, but merely because I was wide awake — and awfully bored. Naturally, mornings were rather difficult. I absolutely loathed waking up early to go to school. Mind you, I never wanted to go to school at any given time, sensible or otherwise. It was a ghastly place, mostly filled with dreadfully dull teachers.
We are often told that it’s ‘natural’ to keep ‘normal’ hours, and go to bed at a ‘sensible’ hour. Once again, this is particularly useful to regulate the masses, ensuring they are at work between certain hours, and home with their families for the remainder of the day. It keeps people out of mischief. Society functions like a parent disciplining ‘difficult’ children. It’s a bit like being allowed to colour in — but only between the lines.
Further, we are told to conform if we are to do ‘business’ with the ‘normal’ commercial world. It may have been true in the past, but now that model has been truly tossed on its head, and all the marbles have fallen out, skittering to the far corners.
My favourite fallacy to challenge is that we need to get up with Mother Nature, and go to sleep when the sun sets. Can we just stop this nonsense right away? The whole planet is divided between nocturnal species, and those that bask in the sun. Neither is more special than the other is. What are we to do with the many species that only come out under the cover of night?
Not all birds roost at sunset and wake up with each new dawn. Have you ever seen an owl first thing in the morning? Probably not because owls hunt pesky mice for their late night dinners during the bewitching hours. They tend to ‘sleep-in’ in the mornings. We must stop using this ridiculous notion to justify ‘working’ hours. Many species never see daylight and are quite happy with the arrangement.
With globalisation — and greed to a large degree — the world never sleeps. The outdated ideals of ‘normal’ hours are redundant in our modern times. Convenience sees people working and shopping at the oddest hours. Since I often work with international clients, I am actually most alert when they are going about their ‘normal’ day. Therefore, it can be said I have finally found my ‘normal’ night shift.
I have always been most alert from midday to midnight. Working within my natural cycle, I can work twelve to sixteen hours a day with ease. I don’t recommend anyone work such long hours, but it does illustrate my point. If I am forced from slumber too early in the day, I will still be awake until my usual bedtime, but not nearly as creative or productive. Even when exhausted, I cannot fall asleep early in the evening.
Years before I completed my first book — which was over ten years in the making — I tried so very hard to conform. I would sit at my keyboard, nice and early, dead-tired, and uninspired. I don’t have to tell you how much I actually wrote at the time. Late one night, I was typing a long email to a Canadian friend, explaining why I never seem to get anything done, when it struck me: I was doing it all wrong!
Informing my friend that I was off to write, I hastily finished and sent the email. I had a shower, jumped into bed, and began writing around midnight. When the early birds were all waking up, I eventually switched off my laptop, and nodded off to sleep. I worked most nights until it was complete. This is the story of how The Book of Life was finally written.
These days, I have found a more comfortable medium that works well with my ‘natural’ rhythm. I try not going to bed too late, but I often get my best ideas in the middle of the night. I bought a large tablet and a ‘blue toothless’ keyboard to use in bed, and much of my writing is captured in the early hours of the day. This particular article was written during an unfortunate break in electricity on a sunny African winter’s day. Yes, I know ... I should have gone outside to enjoy it, but articles don’t write themselves, do they?
I write when I get the urge. Putting it off will ensure nothing ricocheting in my head will be documented. I get bored, tired, and then I think my ideas are so humdrum. In fact, they are because they have been bouncing around my head for long enough. They need to be written.
Find your own ‘natural’ pattern that is ‘normal’ to you, and you will become a much happier and productive human being. The world will thank you for being unique. Just keep the noise levels down in the mornings ... I am sleeping!
