Clockwork

As a kid, I used to compulsively check my alarm clock. And I'm not exagerating on the compulsive part....I have a psych degree and work with a kid with some of the most intense compulsions I've ever seen. My alarm clock checking was compulsive.....I used to sit on the edge of the bed and set the clock. Get into bed and start reading....about 5 minutes later I would start thinking about the alarm clock and worrying that I might not have set it. If I was lucky, I would get another 5 minutes of reading in before the fear that it wasn't set made the words I was reading irrelevent. So I would check the clock. This repeated usually another 3 to 4 times while I read. Then, before turning off the light, I would check the clock again. And again about 10 min. later. And then I would wake up every 2 hours. And check the clock.

The point of all this is that I never overslept. Ever. Because that alarm clock? It was set. And I made damn sure of it. All freaking night. I eventually started to get control of my freakish worry that my alarm clock would mysteriously turn itself off and now I just double-check it before I turn the light out. Turns out, I was right to worry.

Several times over the last few months I've woken up to find that my clock did not go off. Each time, I would pass it off as my own mistake from the night before. Till this morning. I woke up savoring a few minutes of snuggling into my covers and being all warm and cozy. I knew it couldn't last, so I checked my clock to see how long I had till 5:00--when my alarm was set for. The clock? Yeah....it said 7:52. Not 5:00. So I did what any sane, rational person would do: I panicked, then I checked my phone. My phone did not say 7:52, my phone said 6:52. 5 bazillion thoughts ran through my head...including wondering if I missed daylight savings and maybe it's Monday? But, obviously, that was not the case and I figured out that my phone was probably right, being set by satellite and all that shit.

After sorting it out, I was still left with questions...who reset the clock (couldn't have been me...)? And turned off the alarm (again, obviously not me....)? And why (I wouldn't subconsiously need more sleep and thus turn off my alarm...of course not!)? When(....if it wasn't me, I obviously did not do it in my sleep)? There is only one obvious answer....Cat. She is nimble, quiet, and, most importantly, was irritated with me before bed because I only scratched her ears while reading for 15 minutes instead of the usual 30. Damn Cat. She's a sneaky one.

Moral of the story: Some seemingly pointless compulsions should be held onto....if only so you don't wake up 2 hours late on a Friday morning wondering if it's Monday and end up blaming your cat for the whole ordeal.