I’ve heard Anna May tell this story a thousand times. The only part of it that I remember is when she finally managed to wake me up. The old tale that you can damage someone psychologically by waking them up when they’re sleepwalking…yeah, she does not believe that. She has awakened me from sleepwalking in every way imaginable. A few years after this event, I was trying to deploy a weapon from a video game I had been playing and ended up pulling her hair in my sleep. If memory serves me correctly, she said sweet words like, “What is wrong with you, you idiot! Wake up!” It’s sweet little phrases like those that have helped us build a happy marriage.
Back to my story…Anna May had never been around anyone who walked in their sleep, so she legitimately thought she had married a maniac. They say that love is blind, but marriage is an eye-opener. Well…here ya go.
Adventures in Sleepwalking
I have periodically walked in my sleep ever since I was a little kid. Call it a gift maybe? Well anyhow, in three and a half years of dating, neither I nor my family ever thought to mention this to Anna May. Last night she woke up in the middle of the night to find me pushing an imaginary scraper up and down on the wall. My beautiful young bride sweetly asked, “What are you doing Rob?” Hatefully I respond, “I’m trying to get the gum off the wall!” “Why?”, she asks. “Because the lighting is bad in this room!”, I loudly explain. Flipping the light on, Anna May continues, “Is that better?” At this moment I evidently started walking around the room, flinging my hands back and forth and yelling, “My mom hid my tools.” Sounding a bit more concerned now, Anna May says, “You don’t have any tools.” Somewhere shortly after this, I woke up, got back in bed and fell right back to sleep. Anna May on the other hand, does not seem to have gotten much sleep. Evidently sleep walking is creepy.
Life Lesson
No one is perfect, and nothing reveals imperfections as definitely as marriage. Part of enjoying a happy marriage is learning to embrace each other’s imperfections. Some people worry that if their spouse sees their weaknesses, it will hurt the relationship. In reality, deeper knowledge of each other leads to deeper intimacy. Marriage means accepting each other entirely. Discovering the details of what you have chosen to accept takes a lifetime. If we allow it to, this means a lifetime of ever-increasing intimacy.
Sleepwalking Tip
If you don’t own tools when you’re awake, it’s hard to use them when you’re asleep.