Paper Route

My wife has been working overnight shifts as a newspaper delivery person for the past week.

She says that that job is a pretty good one. "Not great, but good." Some of the pluses are that there is no boss hanging out over her shoulder yapping at her, there is no traffic on the roads, she doesn't have to deal with too many other people, the people she does have to deal with are nice, and the quicker she does her job the quicker she is through for the day. It allows her time to pick up the boys from school as well as teach her art classes.

I got to go with her on her route the past 3 nights and it was kinda fun. Sunday's paper, however, was a little bitch, as we had to put in all the ads and TV guides and all that extra bullshit that comes with the Sunday paper. Took us almost 3 times as long to do Sunday's paper as it normally does. But even with that, it was good to spend that time with her. Even work time is good time with my wife.

Working overnights like that make you feel off during the day. You feel like you're walking through water. You're muscles have to work extra hard to function. Your eyesight is a little blurrier. It feels like you're constantly waiting for your job to start so that you can go to bed. Waking up feels like the beginning of waiting again.

It's good that she's not teaching classes now. This time will give her the opportunity to get used to these new hours and once she's accustomed to this schedule, she can add on more to her schedule.

It does, however, mean that both of us are sleeping alone most of the night. I stay awake until she leaves, then I fall asleep (sorta), then she comes home and sleeps for about an hour (sorta), then I get up for work and she keeps sleeping (sorta).

I love my wife and I miss her at night. Even though I'm not awake, I'm aware that she's not there. I suppose, however, if there HAS to be a time when I need to be without my wife, while I'm asleep is about as good a time as any. That, or when I'm away at work myself.

I'm really glad that she has this job, and I'm really glad that she likes it as much as she does, and I really like that it's bringing in money for our family, and I look forward to the days when we have enough money so that we don't need to work this paper route anymore.