2AM: I hear the shower running. I felt her get up and realize she is not merely washing her hands. Cheryl does not know what time it is. Or, probably more correctly, she does not have a good sense of – when should I start preparation for church this morning. Church is at 10AM. I get her to turn off the shower and come bad to bed reminding her that it is eight hours away, so, no hurry.

5:30AM: Can I lay down here for a bit? She awakens me and asks permission to lay back down. Sure, I say. Let me help. Did you take a shower?, I ask. She is no longer wearing pajamas. She is in her bathrobe and damp. Yes but I need to lay down for a bit before we go. I help her back into bed and ignore the conversation about what time it is. I’m a little peeved at myself for not detecting her getting up again or hearing the shower run.

6:30AM: She gets up. Most parkie’s have lost their skoocher so in Cheryl’s case when she gets out of bed it is like trying to sleep through an earthquake – magnitude 9-ish. I am still wondering how I slept through her getting up at 5AM.

7AM: I hear the TV come on to the morning news and I relax a bit. I think that she has taken her morning meds and is sitting for a bit watching the news. I relax enough that I fall asleep.

8AM: I get up to see how she is and discover her asleep in her lounge chair. I get some coffee and reheat it in the microwave. I look and find that she has not taken her meds. I get them for her and some water and apple sauce for the sticky ones. She announces that she does not think she can go to church.

8:30AM: She goes back to bed for a nap.

10:15AM: She is up again. We have coffee cake and tea for her , coffee for me.

The days begins again. Parkinson’s disease sucks but there is no reason to loose sleep over it. The loosing sleep part will occur naturally.