Years ago, I lived in a trailer on the edge of a cotton field … way out in the country. We had one car. When my husband went to work, I was left alone with two small children and unable to leave. He worked long hours. Our home was struck by lightning that knocked out our air conditioning so summer days were HOT. And this particular move was one that I did not want to make …. but I was the admirable “submissive” wife. I shared my opinion. It was ignored. And thereafter, I kept quiet.
I still remember waking up from a nap on a summer’s afternoon
and realizing I had slept four hours.
That was when I LOVED to sleep
because it was my only escape from the realities of life.
During this time …. I used sleep as an escape….
from motherly duties….
from financial strain ….
from marital strife …..
from life.
That was my “rock bottom.” That was the lowest time in my emotional history. That was when I realized that I had to make some drastic healthy changes to get back to a healthy place of living.
And I did.
I reached out for help
and climbed my way out of that deep hole.
My relationship with sleep is TOTALLY different now.
I love to sleep because it rejuvenates me and gives me energy to take on new challenges. Sleep offers my mind a chance to focus on my thoughts without outside stimulation so that I can parse and process activities, emotions and motivations. Sleep offers permission to be quiet and still.
These days, I go to bed early and get up early. I start getting excited about going to bed around 4:30 or 5:00. I start looking forward to rest and crawling between clean sheets and lying under a heavy quilt. These days, I carve out time for a short power nap almost every day. These days, I make sleeping a priority for a whole host of very healthy reasons.
Bedtime makes me so very happy.
What about you?
What makes you happy on this marvelous Monday morning?
may i ask you a question? 