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Wednesday morning... and eyes popped open by 4am. That makes five hours sleep, and I'll call that a win. Eight would be better, but five will do. I can make the rest up with caffeine and will power.

Strange happenings when I woke. My cell phone in it's charger had turned itself off. Not wildly unusual, except it would not turn on. Punching buttons in the dark... and nothing. Turning the light on, I looked at it, found nothing amiss, and then removed the battery. Since it's a super-duper tough phone with sealed this and mil-spec that, removing the battery required manipulating hardware and fasteners... not something I do well at 4am through blurry eyes. In any case, that worked, and the phone came to life.

That would not have been so weird, except my next move was to switch on the shortwave on my headboard, hoping for something boring on Coast to Coast to lull me back to sleep. That was the idea, but even though the radio came on... none of the blasted controls would work. It's never done that before! Having just dealt with the cell phone, I tried the same trick with Mr. Grundig, and removed the batteries a moment. That did the job, and all was well in radio land.

Strange..... Various electronics that go wonky in the dead of night, all at the same time.

But all that thought (minimal as it was) sealed my fate, and awake I was. Awake enough to look at the cell phone and think a few thoughts. For 18 months I have kept it by my side, just in case somebody important to me called. I realized this morning... there is no longer a need. I put it back in the charger and left it there.

Another thought popped up, like an uninvited weasel in a hen house. It was 4am and I had just dealt with two pieces of recalcitrant electronics without even getting the least cranky. It was a problem... I dealt with it... time to move on. Ten years ago I would have tossed that phone against the wall hard enough to entomb it for future generations.

I think it's the teaching that did that to me. Year and years of working with teenagers, and knowing, deeply ingrained, that anger solved nothing at all. Now, I seldom get angry over anything. In fact, I can't recall the last time I was seriously pissed. Hurt? Oh God yes... blindsided and blinded with pain... yes. But not angry... I've learned almost to the point of instinct now... anger solves nothing. The last time I yelled at someone.... the last time I was irate.... it's been years and years.

Funny how a few hunks of cranky electronics can highlight a life lesson to me. Maybe it was the 4am thing.... :-)

At least the coffee pot worked the first time, and I'm thankful for that.