Sleep
“Sleep
that knits the raveled sleeve of care,
the
death of each day's life, sore labor's bath,
balm
of hurt minds, great nature's second course,
chief
nourisher of life's feast.”
William
Shakespeare (Macbeth)
There
is nothing to make you appreciate a good night's sleep like two
nights without. Between the plumbing issues and a bad bed at my
friend's house, I am running a serious sleep deficit. It is one of
the many aspects of my life that let me know how spoiled I am. I
have a hard time sleeping through the night in a comfortable bed,
much less one with lumps and sags. I'm like that child's
story about the princess and the pea, except that I'm old, and
well...not a princess. Two sleepless nights in a row, renders me
brainless and as grouchy as a sore-tailed cat. Last night, I finally
left the bed and made myself a pallet on the floor, but every time I
moved, Liza stuck her cold, wet nose in my face. Needless to say, she
was not the perfect companion to have on a sleepless night. Nor was
I.
Sleeping
on the floor reminds me of the family I met in Guatemala. All five
generations slept on mats on the ground along with all their chickens
and one skinny cow. I didn't hear any complaints from them about hard
earth and cold noses. In fact, I didn't hear any complaining at all.
I guess you have to be an ugly American to complain of such things.
If I walked twelve miles to market with a twenty pound basket of
woven tapestries balanced on my head, and then twelve miles home
again, I too would probably sleep wherever I laid my head.
I
was married to someone who could sleep anywhere. He could answer the
phone at three in the morning, field a call about a sick baby, and be
back asleep by the time he hung up. While I laid awake for hours
beside him, I thought of putting a pillow over his head—more than
once. I should write the new Pope and ask forgiveness for that. I
wonder whether he forgives non-Catholics.
Anyway,
sleep is a blessing we tend to overlook until we don't have it. If
you're that person who can sleep anytime, anywhere, give grateful
thanks. You have no idea how blessed you are. We non-sleepers would
like to have live in your skin for just a week or two. Or even a
night or two. Happy Monday, y'all.
In
the spirit,
Jane
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