Stress can be so numbing. My wife usually goes to bed quite early (between 10:00 and 10:30PM). Last night, I convinced her to watch a new episode of NYPD Blue, keeping her up until 11:00PM. The change in her bedtime, and the nap she had had earlier in the afternoon (when she came home sick from work) was enough to throw her system out of whack. When her head hit the pillow, sleep did not follow. So she waited... and she tossed and turned... and she opened the window (it was really hot yesterday night)... and she heard noises outside... and she remembered an after-work meeting that would keep her busy long into the evening... and she thought about the open houses and what eventually awaits us... and she tried her quiet music, and her yoga... then she tried yogurt and crackers, and before you know it, it was 4:00AM and still no sleep.

I heard her walking around upstairs, but knew better than to go up and disturb her. She hates nothing more than when I stumble in at the wrong moment, just as she's starting to feel sleepy, and wake her with stupid chatter. So I waited, and finally went to sleep myself. When I woke up at 4:00AM and realized she was still walking around, I went to check on her. I didn't stay around long, again not wanting to add to her stress (I fall asleep quickly, and snore to wake the dead). If she's still awake and I'm snoring, that's just another stressor. I went back to sleep in the TV room, and woke at 7:30AM to the sound of her foot steps. I don't think she got a wink all night. She'll probably sleep at work (I hope they understand) and will hopefully be awake enough during the evening meeting to do her job adequately.

As for me, I've just finished with the carpet installers, and the last bedroom is now fit for viewing. The furniture will be back in the room tonight, and we will finally have our bedroom and upstairs hall cleared of furniture. That leaves only my area of the house that needs to be prepared for a real estate agent. I guess it's my turn to get stressed.