Mark Phillips' Pages: Workbook: 5/6/03: Neighbor girl, sometimes your babysitter while your mother's out.

Jacob Lawrence, "Harriet and the Promised Land No. 9u," (1967) — Jacob Lawrence, *Harriet and the Promised Land No. 9. Walking by Night, Sleeping by Day* (1967)

May 6, 2003:

Neighbor girl, sometimes your babysitter. 9pm bedtime, sharp, no arguments. She's friendly, but firm.

"I'm going to count to ten, and when I'm done, I want you to be asleep." She does. You're not. She's astonished.

"All the other kids I sit are out like lights before I reach five!"

She could count to a million, it would only keep you awake. All your life, you'll never sleep if there are voices near you. Much of the time you won't sleep at all, and in adulthood you'll learn to get out of bed and use the time productively. People will say, "How can you get so much done!?" There's not much secret. Your babysitter at age five knew the answer.