Sleep is a gift.
Ask anyone who ever had a nightmare, a sleepless night, or an insomnia – which is everyone – and you’ll get the same answer.
Yes, some people need ten seconds between hitting the pillow and going to dreamland. However, if you are more like most people, it will take you minutes or even better part of an hour to sleep. If you are under stress, or have something big going on tomorrow, or an emotional meltdown, or a baby, or have accidentally consumed an overdosage of caffeine earlier during the day – odds are you would experience laying-on-bed-with-your-eyes-open-and-your-mind-alert-and-it-is-damn-annoying thing.
And nightmares. Who on earth never has a nightmare? One of my worst was when I was a little girl, and I dreamed of a man killing his three children and the ghost-children whispering, “We are innocent. Why did you kill us?” Yes, it was traumatic to a child and I still remember it many years later.
And the feeling of your whole body aching, and yet your brain is having the power of ten horses and start to think of nonsense?
Yeap. Sleep is a gift.
And everytime you need sleep the most, it seems like it never comes readily. You only have six hours to sleep before the big day. You start counting down. One hour later, you’re still awake, flustered, and stressed because now you only have five hours to sleep. And you start counting down again. And again… And when you are finally able to sleep, well, the sun rises.
Worse, just like the experience of never being able to find things we are looking for and yet they are always there when we don’t need them, sleep is like that as well. For example: in car, in taxi, during meetings, at school – we always want to sleep. In fact, we can fall asleep in a matter of seconds or minutes. But back at our own home sweet home and on the comfort of our beds, it takes much longer to access this luxury.
Blessed are those who are able to enjoy sleep when want it. Blessed are those whose calls to sleep are always answered.
Photo by Rui Fernandes
