The Horror

Okay, so I'm being slightly melodramatic! However, I wonder what other people think these days about the night shift worker (like myself) driving home. I took a course at OPC on "facilitating adult learning" and I did my major project on the EFFECTS OF SHIFT WORK ON THE SHIFT WORKER! One of the important nuggets of information that I gleaned from the research is that when I am driving home following a night shift I would in fact be considered an "impaired driver". Sometimes I can sleep in late on the morning of my first night shift; if that happens, I am still fairly alert at 7 o'clock in the morning. Often this is not the case; I wake early and can't return to sleep! This morning was one of those mornings where I was so tired that I felt dizzy on my drive home. I could sense the frustration of the driver behind me as I slowly weaved my way along the concession that takes me "cross country". I believe that "he" was angry that I was holding him up; that I am not speeding down a side road that is not monitored by the police. The problem is I can only drive so fast while focusing on the road and concentrating on keep my eyes open. The frightening part here is that these anxious and angry people who are tail-gating me have no idea why I'm driving like "an old woman" (yeah yeah, I know; I hate the reference too but couldn't help it). I wonder if they would be horrified at my lack of physical capabilities if they actually knew my true condition. I hope to never have to find out and have a break in my concentration and have an accident. What is worse is when I am so tired I can't even get out of my car; in the spring and summer my hubby has found me out in my car sleeping whiles on his own way to work at 7 a.m.

Unfortunately I enjoy my job, I enjoy the excitement, the adrenaline rush when there is something going on. The morale of the story is to not to take a job that requires shift work.