Day 218: Slumber party...

How is it that a peaceful nights sleep has become more illusive than Sasquatch, the Lochness Monster or a US Olympic gold medal in ping pong?  I can remember the days when I could sleep in as late as 10:30 or 11:00 on weekends and how my alarm would actually serve a purpose in waking me up for school or work.  I can remember being so incredibly depressed, rolling over to look at my alarm clock only to see that I have to get up in a few minutes.  Nowadays I get depressed when I notice I have a good three to four hours before I have to get up yet I'm wide awake. 

Perhaps it's because as we get older we have more stresses, more angst that occupy our lives.  During the day we are frantically trying to put out fires that crop up so we don't think much about all the issues we're facing.  It's at night when things have quieted down that our minds say "Hey, my turn!  I've got some things to discuss."  Trying to quiet our minds is like laying down a couple of sandbags to stem the tide of a tsunami.  This whole "be in the now" goes the way of the Dodo and we spend the night spinning our brains around one stressful event to another.

I know there are lots of remedies for sleep.  Diet certainly plays a role in how well we sleep as does maintaining a balanced frame of mind. Booze is an alternative but that only helps to put you to sleep fast.  You'll eventually wake up and spend the rest of the night in a fitful dance between being not quite asleep and not quite awake, or worse, with your head in a porcelain bowl.  There are medications but many of those will make me groggy and a bit grouchy in the morning.  As my wife will say, "Uh oh, there's Mr. Cranky Pants."  

Ah but to be a dog.  To sleep any where, any time, and with such contentment.  Even Roscoe, my high strung, neurotic poodle can sleep soundly.  Can't say I've ever seen Sophie toss and turn, roll over on her back and just stare up at the ceiling.  I've never seen her sitting up in the middle of the night watching Animal Planet or reading her Kindle Fire, trying to induce sleep.  Nope, she just lays there sprawled out on her doggie bed, breathing deeply, content as can be.  Sure, they have very few worries in life but dogs have obviously figured out this whole sleep thing.

So my new mantra for tonight... "Be the dog, be the dog...."  Except when it comes to eating, bathing, and pooping.