Night shift sucks. It does. There’s no way around it. But even though the hours aren’t necessarily ideal for you or your officer, there are definitely some perks to the good ole graveyard shift.
Speaking of-the other Sunday at church our pastor brought up the graveyard shift during a sermon, and briefly talked about how that term originated. Did you know that the term ‘graveyard shift’ was coined during the plague, when people were literally being buried alive? Some brave soul was tasked with spending the night in the graveyard, listening for the bells to ring that would signal someone had been buried alive. Yikes. So, perk one, at least you’re not doing that job! Just kidding 😉
Everyone has different likes and dislikes about having their spouse working the night shift. Here are my perks:
- Developing my own routine. I lived alone for about a year, and it’s the only time I’ve ever truly been alone (out of my parents house and without roommates). At first, it was terrifying. But as I got used to it I began to appreciate developing my own little routine and not having anything cramp that style. I’m a pretty independent person, so sometimes it’s nice to have an uninterrupted evening to complete my To Do list or Zumba in my living room without an audience. Which brings me to:
- Watching/reading/doing whatever I want. And not feeling guilty about it. Sometimes when I get home from work all I want to do is lay on the couch. Or drink a glass of wine. Or go on a long walk. Or make a phone call. But typically I spend some time prepping dinner, tidying up, packing a lunch, whatever. And on the days OMP is off, we enjoy spending time together and catching up. But darn it if I don’t enjoy having a few evenings to myself to do whatever I please and not feel guilty about it. Does he ever make me feel guilty about relaxing, or finishing an entire bottle of prosecco? No, but I guilt myself. When it’s just me and the cat at home I put on my coziest PJs, park myself on the couch, and don’t move for hours, if that’s what I feel like. And it is glorious.
- Setting the house temperature to MY comfort level. OMP likes to sleep in the arctic. Seriously, the arctic. I know it’s supposed to help you sleep better when the air is cool, but sheesh! I love not turning the air on when it’s just me in the house at night, or piling extra blankets on the bed. Which brings me to my next point:
- Getting the bed to myself. Don’t get me wrong, I like to cuddle. I do. But I also like stretching out into what my officer calls the ‘starfish position’ smack dab in the middle of our king size bed. I cherish the few nights OMP actually sleeps next to me…but I also spend a small portion of that night woefully coveting that extra space.
- Being more intentional about the time my officer and I have together. This, to me, is the biggest one. Because our work hours are so different, OMP and I are careful to cherish the time we do get together. It’s easy to fall into a routine when you feel like you see each other all of the time. But when the time you get together is far and few between, you covet that time more and have more appreciate for your other half.
Does your officer work night shift, or have they in the past? What are some of your favorite (or least favorite) things about it? Share with us in the comments below!