I AM SUCH A DORKSTRESS! (Find out why...)

Cecil and I drove separately down to Wabash, Indiana early Sunday afternoon. (I had research to do for my next series set in Wabash 1926-'30.) About halfway to our destination, a 4-hour drive, this is what my brain kept telling my body: "HEY! It's time for your nap, don't you know that? It's SUNDAY! Close your eyes!" My body kept saying back, "No, no, it's wrong, I'm driving." It turned into somewhat of a battle, the eyes going hazy glazy then suddenly popping open as round as a plate.

I SHOULD have simply swallowed my pride, called Cecil who was a couple car-lengths ahead of me and just admitted that I needed to pull over for a half-hour nap, but I didn't. So, instead I started pinching myself, but apparently not hard enough. Next, I started hitting my legs, shoulders, arms, and the top of my head. I mean, I was giving myself some pretty good bops and punches. It TOTALLY woke me up! No kidding. I HURT MYSELF!!!!

Just then the phone rang. I fished for it in my purse, thinking one of my daughters might be calling. "What are you doing to yourself back there?" It was Cecil.

"Uh, what?"

"Are you tired or something? Do you need to pull over?"

"No, I'm fine. Okay, I was a little tired, but now I'm wide awake."

"I saw you hitting yourself all over the place."

Talk about embarrassed. It made me wonder who else saw me! In a second--once I convinced him I was perfectly fine and would call if I needed a break--we hung up. Just as soon as I hung up, though, I started laughing hysterically. I couldn't help it, I just kept thinking what that must have looked like from a rearview mirror. I had to call him right back and tell him that now I couldn't stop laughing. Cecil not only thinks I am a crazy woman, he KNOWS it!

I remained wide awake the rest of the trip, listened to the radio, talked to the Lord, enjoyed the ride.

Now, here's an interesting tidbit I learned while getting ready for bed that night. You can give yourself a giant bruise if you hit your thigh hard enough.