catnipoflife

NOTE: Not only before I fall asleep, but this post was actually written BEFORE hubby’s critical care hospital confinement and BEFORE the Farewell to Bootsie. [Be sure to revisit, or first time visit, the post to Bootsie, I added some new photos I found when searching for something else.]

Dreams…fantasies, awakenings of hidden memories, desires…occur only once REM is achieved. But, what do I do before falling asleep? Is there a key or magic dust, which allows me to fall asleep calmly, enhancing the dream, thus preventing a nightmare’s tale? Wish I could provide THE answer but of course, I can’t. What I can do is think about what I actually do perhaps finding the trigger to falling asleep without counting sheep. Um-m-m-m? Let’s see…

Do I have a glass of warm milk? NO! (I don’t even like milk, let alone warm.)
Do I have a nice warm bath? NO! (The bath has only a shower…no tub.)
Do I meditate for at least 15 minutes? NO! (My mind won’t rest for that long.)
Do I read a few chapters in a novel? NO! (If I pick up that novel, I will still be awake at 2am!)
Do I watch television? NO! (I hate TV these days. Same-o, same-o. Know what is going to happen before it happens. Get some NEW material, producers!)

What do I do? I work on my writing (sometimes just trying to get caught up on email…UGH!) until my eyes are so tired I cannot focus any longer, take a sleeping pill and crash! OK, you may laugh but many of you reading this are writers and I know you know about the difficulty in shutting down the mind. Sometimes I am already in bed but before going to sleep I grab the ever ready pad and pencil on the nightstand quickly jotting down ‘words of wisdom’ fleeting in and out like a bee seeking pollen flitting from flower to flower. I do not want to awaken in the morning remembering I had some terrific ideas but not remembering what they were!

On a more serious note, before I fall asleep, I definitely count my blessings instead of counting sheep…like the ol’ Bing Crosby song! No way my mental sheep will cooperate. More stressful trying to count them anyway. I do read – my Bible and say my prayers for all who need the comfort of angels’ wings! Hubby is usually fast asleep well before I am along with Foxie, our calico cat. So Bootsie (the grey long hair kitty) jumps in bed as I lay my head upon my pillow. She kneads and kneads and kneads, then gives herself a bath and finally snuggles against my leg. I give her a usual love pat and she purr-r-r-r-rs softly while settling down for the night. Once final prayers are said I gently give hubby a good-night kiss and smile with thankfulness of our having another wonderful day together. After 29 years, he is still my last kiss goodnight! Then, I am ready to go to sleep. . . [Rest in peace my little Bootsie. I still miss you immensely!]

This is a story requested by, Raani York, some months ago when Storylane was THE place to hone in on writing skills. It was fun, it was challenging to respond to topics provided by fellow writers. Then, Storylane joined forces with Facebook and lost its unique identity.  For all visiting, be sure to stop by Raani’s blog (http://raaniyork.wordpress.com/). She is a terrific writer and will have you laughing until your sides hurt with her letters to celebrities. Then, of course, there is Jake who writes in his diary, The Diary of a Cat Prince. You do not want to miss any of Jake’s entries!

Nighty-night! Sweet dreams…z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z…