GET NO SLEEP

The sign by the gate doesn’t blink: “For the week you don’t need no sleep. 48 hours per week in three days. Everyone else is walking back running back-and-forth. I’ll ask.” So I step through. Monday starts before the sun. The machines wake up hungry and I feed them hours. Twelve, then twelve more. The break room cot is hard, but I don’t come here for comfort. Tuesday melts into Wednesday. By Thursday morning, the clock says 48. Shift over. Outside, the city keeps its rhythm. People walking back running back-and-forth. Train, office, train. Five days sliced into eight-hour shifts. Always chasing the weekend, only to find it already spent. I walk out into Thursday quiet. I sleep because I want to, not because I crashed. Friday, the light feels slower. Saturday, I hear my own thoughts. Sunday, I’m not counting minutes. Four whole days that don’t belong to anyone else. Moral of the story: Most people rent out their lives by the hour. Five days, eight hours at a time, until the week is gone and they can’t remember living it. I’d rather give three days, all of me, and keep four for myself than give all seven in pieces and never own a single one. Rest isn’t quitting. Giving your whole life away is.