I can fall asleep almost anywhere. I routinely fall asleep in the break room at work. Once, I was helping a friend fix his car, and I fell asleep on his garage floor when he went inside to get water.
But in a hot metal tube tearing through the sky, with my neck all kinked? Get out of here, man.
I am gonna be honest with you here. Some of us born with a gift, given directly from god. They can sleep, without thinking embarrassing memories, without using any medicine, without finding comfort itself. But you and I… and many others… we are not welcomed to this dream world of easy sleepers. We are not gifted.
My partner is one of these. I have photos of him sleeping on planes, trains, boats and cars. He can be worried about something, or stressed about tomorrow, and still fall asleep within 5 minutes of laying down. I am so jealous.
While many times it is a gift it is a curse if we suppose to be with someone. We go on a road trip? You barely close the door I am asleep. We ride buss I am asleep as soon as I sit down. Air plane I wake up 8 hours later. Hang out in bed I am gone.
I have to fight to stay awake but that is in vain. I will lose the fight five minutes later.
I usually have trouble falling asleep and can’t just take a nap in the afternoon - never could.
But on a plane I’ll be asleep minutes after the engines started and I’ll happily sleep for hours through an entire flight. Something about the engine noise and movement of the cabin is very soothing to me. Same for trains, busses, cars.
And yet I’ll regularly lie in my bed awake desperately trying to fall asleep…