When we see the first glory of youth pass us by, Like a leaf on the stream that will never return, When our cup, which had sparkled with pleasure so high, First tastes of the other, the dark-flowing urn; Then, then in the time when affection holds sway With a depth and a tenderness joy never knew; Love, nursed among pleasures, is faithless as they, But the love born of Sorrow, like Sorrow, is true.
In climes full of sunshine, though splendid the flowers, Their sighs have no freshness, their odour no worth; 'Tis the cloud and the mist of our own Isle of showers That call the rich spirit of fragrancy forth. So it is not 'mid splendour, prosperity, mirth, That the depth of Love's generous spirit appears; To the sunshine of smiles it may first owe its birth, But the soul of its sweetness is drawn out by tears.
- Thomas Moore
After a long day of work, taking care of the dogs and running errands, there is nothing more than a person wants than to get in their cozy bed and falling asleep. With that being said, it is quite amazing to learn that a young man at the age of 17 made world record history by spending about a week and a half-awake.
At the time of the world record, Randy Gardner was a high school student in San Diego, California. While in schooling, he was given a task to come up with a science fair project. For some reason, Gardner thought of breaking the world record of no sleep, so what he did was exactly that.
Throughout the days of no sleep, Gardner went about his daily routine of eating and drinking. Although this was a difficult task on his body both physically and mentally, Gardner was able to overcome the waves of nausea, grogginess, and exhaustion soon becoming the winner of the science fair and a world record holder.
During the time spent awake, Gardner caught the attention of sleep researchers who wanted to analyze the student over the time spent awake. Once he broke the record, Gardner went to a naval hospital where he was able to sleep and be observed.