That’s when my wife Gia and I decided to do something — or rather, come up with a way — to get our sleep back. Our nice neighbours, the Thompsons, put up floodlights that shone right into our bedroom because Susan was afraid of the dark. Gia asked Susan nicely to change her mind, but Susan was set on keeping the lights on because they made her feel safe when her husband Mark was not around.
There was nothing we could do that worked. We tried blackout curtains, moving chairs around, and even offering to set up a timer. Mark was just as firm, putting his wife’s safety ahead of our sleep. I took things into my own hands because I was angry and desperate.
I sneaked over while the women were gone and released the bulbs. I was happy to see the lights flicker and then go out. That night, our house was silent and peaceful, but Mark and I played a game of cat and mouse because of this. He would tighten the lights, and I would loosen them. We were both trying to trick the other person.
One day, Mark lightly brought up how often the lights went out, which really confused him. I jumped at the chance and suggested that noises from traffic on the street might be to blame. Mark agreed, which surprised me. The lights were seen as a hassle and not worth the trouble. Our out-of-the-box method finally gave us the sleep we’d been looking for.
In the end, it was a clever plan that brought our families closer together instead of further apart. We found out that sometimes, a little creativity and understanding can help solve problems that seem impossible to solve.
