47 thoughts on “Sleeping with Darth Vader”

  1. Love this! Congrats on the publication! This is my life. But TEA COSY. A brilliant idea. I use two thick towels now, but a tea cosy is prettier and less cumbersome, and I have 4 of them sitting right over my head in my teapot collection!

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    • Thank you, Sharon. Sleep as a topic of conversation since 1995 when the first daughter arrived and it has preoccupied us since. Now its a habit and the day feels off if we don’t start with the question. Its kind of a ritual now.

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  5. Wow, you’re a legit essayist. I’m impressed by your composed yet conversational style (voice.) Full flavor slice of life, but more savory than treacly. And your reworking of site esthetics is a win.

    Regards,
    Doug

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    • I definitely like salty snacks better than sweet so no surprise my voice tends that way. You know, as I read your comment it occurred to me that the word “essay” comes from the French verb “essayer” – meaning to try. I guess that’s what all essays are – tries at explaining something about ourselves and others. Dang. Something new learned at such an early hours. Thanks for adding your voice, Monsieur.

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  6. Congrats on getting published in the venerable Globe and Mail! The piece cracked me up. Husband and I are slightly less sleep challenged these days but still greet each other each morning with the same question: ‘You sleep well?’

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  7. Late to the party (fashionably bien sûr) I have shared this on Facebook knowing how many of my friends and relics will relate. It’s a wonderful take on the reality of life once children are involved, the anxiety of aging and all things life. I congratulate you on your publication but I would have been aghast if such an accessible and beautifully crafted piece were not.

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    • Thank you for sharing on Facebook Osyth! I really enjoyed writing this piece and it flowed out of my pen with ease unlike many other essays and stories which seem to require donating vital organs to keep alive.

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      • Love that remark …. I know exactly how you feel. It got several ‘likes’ and comments on FaceBook and when I am not running around like a headless crazy, I will send them on to you. We all need that tangible encouragement and your writing deserves good exposure 🙂

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  8. Your article is so readable and so easy to relate to! I’ve never had the worry associated with small children (what good parents you are!) but I do know the nightly drama of sleep apnea and wondering, “is he ever going to draw breath again?” Heaven bless the C-PAP!

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  9. “like a Star Wars sex toy.” My favorite, but I loved it all. (Am I going crazy or are your banners changing depending on when I open the blog? This one is a wonderful pastel blue; but when I went to make sure I was quoting you correctly, it’s a golden sunset. If it’s you, I’m very impressed.)

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    • No, you’re not going crazy, Ellen. I uploaded six photos for the photo header and they change randomly. I also refreshed the font. I did all this after spending hours on Sunday morning on a site called Canva trying to make a pretty banner to no avail.

      Thanks for reading the essay. I think I must have had a good night’s sleep when I wrote it!

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  10. Congratulations, Susanne, with your publication. Well done!
    I have had my worries, outdoor noises and breastfeeding years keeping me sleepless. The good thing is that when I sleep 6 hours straight, I feel like Superwoman on Steroids. But after every (rare) good night sleep, a bad night follows. After a bad night Morpheus should embrace us with his blissful magic. But Morpheus, at times, seems merciless. Me to Morpheus; ‘Where are you when I need you?!’

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    • Thank you, Ellen. It was fun to write and reminisce although I do wish I could get a more consistent night sleep. Who knows what could be accomplished with 5 days in a row of a solid 7 hours sleep.

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  15. So much about your story I could relate to. You described our life with son #2 perfectly – the sleepless nights for the first 2 years of his life, and for several years after that, the nights we woke to find him asleep on the floor beside our bed.
    We too have that morning routine of ‘how did you sleep?’. When we can say ‘well’, it is celebrated.
    Well done, Susanne. I’m sure this spoke to so many of us!

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  17. A lovely essay with the sexy ending. My ex had the apnea too, no machine, alas. It didn’t end in any sexy way but for other reasons. I don’t suppose your first blog is still on here somewhere, or is it?

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    • No, the old blog is long gone. I deleted all the content and then asked WP to remove the site. I downloaded most of the posts and saved them but I’m not sure if I’ll ever repost them.

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  18. (I like your new font very much!!) That is such a great article – I’d buy a book full bio or short stories – about your life parenting three adopted daughters. I think it takes parenting to a whole new level and you write so well!!

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    • My very first blog was called “Menomama” and I wrote a lot about adoption and parenting. Then one day the girls and I were chatting and all of a sudden the oldest – who was about 16 at the time – said “Don’t say anything or mom will blog about it.” Needless to say I stopped blogging about our family life. But thank you for the encouragement, Pauline!

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    • Thank you for reading it, Josh. I’m good at stuff up to about 1800 words and then I lose steam. But you never know, there may be a novel in me someday when I shake my writing ADHD.

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  21. Congratulations on the article! Brilliant, as always. We seem to have spent about 20 years in the same bed, only thousands of mile apart. One difference is my husband gave up on the elephant trunk. Slept worse with it. Now, oddly, I’m the one snorting and snoring. Love the new look too, Susanne! I had to click 5 times to see how many different photo banners you have. Lovely.

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    • I thank the Lord for the CPAP machine. It doesn’t make for romantic cuddling but it sure improves sleep.

      Thanks for noticing the change in look. I spent about 2 hours this morning on a site called Canva trying to make a nice banner and each one came out fuzzy. So I gave up and had a look at what WP would let me do and did this in about 20 minutes. Technology. Grrr.

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