12 minutes more to go… and counting. Just a couple of minutes more to spend for my shift, and then I’ll get to go to sleep. I’ll finally get to rest my tired mind after 8 hours of  straight work. I’ll get to lie down on my soft bed, hug my little tykes snugly, kiss my husband goodnight, and put the sheets on us four before catching forty winks.  The idea is so tempting that I’m starting to feel the lids of my eyes closing in upon my line of sight.

9 more to go. My head is in limbo – I can feel my mind drifting to nothingness, empty yet heavy…

Now 7. I’m looking forward to dreaming… Dreaming of life, love, joy… Anything, anything that will take the weight off my shoulders and the stress off my mind. A walk in sunny woods, an afternoon on a quiet beach, maybe? Counting, counting.

4 minutes more. What to say, what to say to pass the time? ABC’s? 123’s? Riddles and rhymes?

Only 2 left. Tomorrow is another day. But tomorrow is not today. So I’m now to close my eyes and rest my head, and relieve my mind of all labor. The moment for slumber awaits.

3, 2, 1.