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I paid the price on Monday. When the alarm rang at 7:30 a.m., I was disoriented, wondering where I was, who I was.
Snooze. That precious little button was a welcomed friend. I must have hit it five or six times . . . at least.
Unable to resist anymore, I forced my body to get out of the horizontal position. Placing my feet on the ground and my head in my hands, I sat at the edge of my bed for several minutes.
Unable to move.
Sleep deprived. Exhausted. Worn out.
Why?
I am loyal. Yes, I am loyal to my city, my hometown, my team.
KC Chiefs!
‘Ugh Oh!’
When NFL season starts, we “ooh” and “aah,” but here on the other side of the ocean, we say, “Ugh oh!” Sleep deprivation is in store for any fans of the good ‘ole American sport.
Here in Spain, we can’t say, “football.” If we do, we risk confusing the listeners. They will immediately picture the players on the field kicking a round, white and black ball, rather than a dark brown-colored, pointed, egg-shaped ball.
In order to make sure all communication channels are open wide, we must say, “fútbol americano” or “American football.”
Yep, American football and sleep deprivation go hand-in-hand when you live on the other side of the globe.
Every week, we frantically check the schedules for the weekend games. Our favorites—KC Chiefs (have I mentioned that already!?) and the Green Bay Packers. Our hearts drop, however, when we hear the awful game times.
They vary from 7:30 p.m. (those seem to be rare) to the dreaded 2:30 a.m. slots. Those are local times for us here in Spain, after we have converted the times in our zone.
Once in awhile, there will be a Saturday night game or a Sunday night game that falls during a school holiday period. Those are the best, but they are rare . . . very rare.
Last Sunday night, I had another choice to make: loyalty vs. sleep.
The Playoffs between the KC Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals. Game start time: 12:30 a.m. That meant that I wouldn’t get to bed before 4 or 4:30 a.m.
Ugh!
Monday, I had a full day of work on the schedule. Get up at 7 a.m. to get the boys out the door to school, back-to-back work meetings, and various appointments. Then, after school, the homework, soccer runs, and dinner tasks would begin.
A non-stop day.
“You’re going to be exhausted tomorrow,” my mother texted me. “Hopefully you can sneak in a nap.”
“Nope, no time for napping tomorrow. I’ll just have to push through. It’s worth it!” I texted back.
Sunday night, I went to bed at 10 p.m. and set my alarm for 12:25 a.m. Five minutes to find a site to livestream the game, pop some microwave popcorn, grab an ice-cold Coke, and get warm and cozy under the blankets.
12:30-4:30 a.m. was pure madness! The KC Chiefs stole the game 23-20, with 3 seconds to spare. Whew! It was a nail biter . . . that is, if I had nails to bite. I think I ended up biting my lips, along with the popcorn.
It was so worth it to stay awake and to be wiped the next day. I wouldn’t have missed it for anything . . . not even for a full night’s sleep.
I made it through the day on Monday, and I’m now counting down the hours until Super Bowl Sunday on February 12. That game time: 12:30 a.m. here in Spain. I’ll be pulling another all-nighter! Actually, it will be February 13, not February 12! Ha!
So, when I have to choose: loyalty vs. sleep . . . I always choose LOYALTY!
Yes, I am a diehard Kansas City girl! I have already set the alarm clock for 12:30 a.m.
Go Chiefs!
—The Cultural Story-Weaver
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