Unfortunately, I woke up to sleep paralysis this morning. It set my day off badly. I can only hope it doesn't set the pace for the week. I heard the door unlock and footsteps like usual, but I knew it was early still. I was still so sleepy. Sleep paralysis doesn't happen when I'm still sleepy, only when I take naps or sleep in too late. So I figure I'm dreaming. But since when do I consciously become aware that I'm dreaming? I prove it to myself by waking up. I open my eyes, I can see around the room, but I can't move.

Damnit.

Confusion flooded through me because I knew it was early still. I was so tired. I closed my eyes and decide to ignore it. I figure I'm cheating the system. Then, out of nowhere I hear a woman's voice, possibly a little girl's but it's hard to tell because it's in a harsh, urgent whisper.

"JONI!!"

This startled me. More than startled. Terrified me. And then, it happened. What I've read about but never experienced. The crushing, numbing, choking sensation of someone sitting on your chest. First on my chest alone, then focused on my neck, making it difficult to breath. I'm glad my eyes were closed still because who knew what kind of image my mind would have come up with for the whisperer in the room.

Still, terrifying. I couldn't sleep after that, knowing the possibility of it reoccurring was great, so I set my alarm for ten minutes and pushed snooze until I got up, never allowing myself to get to the REM cycle, and sleeping on my stomache because I always wake up on my back when it happens.

And so now I'm looking over my shoulder all day. Instead of enjoying the quiet of the morning, I had to put music on to prevent me from pausing every five seconds to wonder what that was. Hearing that awful whisper, reliving the terror that flew through my body at that moment. It was so real, and so shocking. It seemed like the other times, yeah I was terrified, but not so shocked, it was like I was expecting it to happen. The worst part of it, perhaps, is now I know I could encounter sleep paralysis at any time. I thought I could avoid it by not sleeping in too late, not taking naps.

Negative.