Wide Awake in the Land of Nod

I usually watch television well beyond a reasonable time to turn in. That's because unless I get really tired and hypnotized by the tube, I just can't seem to fall asleep. Tonight an old episode of "Friends" was on, and I was almost there in the Land of Nod when that stream of "conscience" or unconscious thought started... and there I was: Wide Awake. After thinking about every problem possible in my own personal life (foremost: what to DO with my life now that I'm retired), I decided to turn to my computer for solace, company and distraction.
About a year away from the end of my 33 year teaching career, I started pondering what to do with myself. I certainly have enough family involvement to keep me busy. Top of the list is my brand new and only grandchild, Sarah Elizabeth. It was the anticipation of her birth that inspired me to get off the treadmill of teaching high school journalism and advising three staffs of the student press. I loved those kids on the newspaper, yearbook and broadcast crews, but I began to recognize that life was not infinite, that I was not invincible, and that my time to be with Sarah Beth, her mother, her father, my father and stepmother... but mostly my best friend and soul mate, captain of my ship, my husband Marvel... was ticking by. I decided I needed to jump off that endless, repetative path that I knew so well, and get started on a journey with a new destination.
So, it's 3:20 in the morning and I'm exploring how I might spend some of my sleepless nights more productively. Perhaps sleep deprivation will help me choose the right direction.   Anyway, it's got to be more useful than watching re-runs of "Friends" episodes... and, afterall, I don't have to get up for school in the morning.