Lyrical delight
October 20th
I slept amazingly well last night. One of those nights when you put your head on the pillow and quickly and pleasantly drift away into a deep and refreshing slumber. There were some light dreams in my head, but mostly it was a rejuvenating night I sorely needed. And what is more, I was able to wake up just by opening my eyes a minute before my alarm went off and not with my cell phone flashing and making noise. Just pure bliss and so much contentment that I didn't even mind getting up on a cold October morning. And as happy I was to experience this night, a question was firmly lodged in my head –
Why those perfect nights are so rare? I tried to analyze my day yesterday to see if anything happened during the day that made the night so pleasant and sleep so deep. What was different from previous days that lead to broken and furtive sleep with unusual and usually unpleasant dreams. And there was nothing that stood up — my days are the same, a carbon copy of the same days as in the previous week and the week before and before that. That is why I am looking for some change in my life, the stagnation — as safe as it is — is very tiresome and boring.
The only thing I could see that lead me to this super sleep last night was the fact that before falling asleep instead of watching something stupid on my cell phone, I read a book. I mean, I read all the time, but I don't remember the last time I was reading a book just before falling asleep — in bed already and under the blankets. That last 10 minutes before sleep was always time for me to check the news and scores and my favorite internet forums for the last time that day. Of course, 10 minutes usually stretched into 20 minutes and then 40 minutes, and then an hour…
The news (especially recently) is frequently depressing, my favorite sports teams don't always win (actually more often than not they lose), and an innocent argument on an internet forum can easily (and quite often) turn into vicious argumentative name-calling. Many times I promised myself that won’t stare at the screen anymore while in bed. And the next night — I would do the same. It was an easy and well-known habit and just something I’ve done every night since I can remember. So last night that was the difference — reading the book, not the phone.
And come to think about it — that was actually a big change from my normal behavior. And something that happened in such a natural and easy way that it took me almost a whole day to figure out its significance. What I can do now is to keep it up — reading a book, preferably with delightfully lyrical content, like a book last night, instead of staring at the screen of a cell phone. Seems fun and easily doable, and if that leads to better sleep — I am all for it.
