Everyone at cherubs could tell a good story—it was an essential part of the program. While I enjoyed chatting with my friends late at night, it meant that when my body was craving sleep at 2 a.m., it was often overshadowed by conversations in the floor lounge that demanded my attention.
Time spent sleeping was a scarce commodity. It could be traded for late-night beach runs, bonding time or editing an assignment. But I knew using too much of the resource too quickly would cause a revolt inside my head. I knew I had to find a compromise.
Others were more masterful in their ability to overcome sleep deprivation than I was. I had difficulty functioning after the first week. On day six, I was struggling to get through nighttime lectures and lay exhausted on my bed without participating in any late-night socialization. But I still couldn’t fall asleep.
Somehow, the thick wooden door in my dorm room did little to block the booming laughter or even just the footsteps. I ended up falling asleep at the same time as everyone else. At 2 a.m., when there was finally silence, I could finally embrace my pillow and enjoy some blissful rest.
I asked everyone who went to bed early how they were able to sleep. My friend offered a solution — earbuds to reduce the noise. He gave me his own and said that he could use his noise-canceling Airpods. I was eternally grateful.
When we ran into each other in the halls, we would check in on each other’s recent sleeping habits. Sometimes, despite our own advice, we stayed up until 2 a.m. discussing a thousand different topics.
I chose to write about my struggle with sleep, but many others experienced the same challenge. At cherubs, anything you grapple with is a shared experience. And the bonds constructed from common enjoyment are just as strong, if not stronger than bonds forged in common frustration.
