Dealing with insomnia and the gratitude hour
No matter how sleepy the evening leading up to bedtime might be, the town crier will soon begin ticking.
Loudly; the clock won’t be ignored.
As it strikes 12 midnight, most people are tucked into bed. My magic hours are in full session.
Insomnia shifts from Nemesis to Creative Partner.
I have come to embrace the routine, to guard it carefully. Head up about 10:30ish. All the normal routines follow. My husband turns to get comfy and drifts off. I sneak to my special chair, where I can watch my man sleep.
Insomnia is a glamorous term for thoughts you forgot to have in the day- Alain de Botton
I hear the night noises, waiting to be recognized
The house settles with loud groans. Distant trains running on hot metal tracks provide the perfect soundtrack. An extended whistle carries through the night air as it approaches town, hollering its greeting, and I smile in return.
The kitties become Nascar racers up and down the stairs.
I sit and write down the ideas as they blast into my brain. They have refused to come back at a decent hour. So I agree to meet them here.
My deepest writing always, consistently comes in the quiet of the night.
For me, without a doubt, this is the BEST idea time.
Funny thing, I have heard my inflexibility about this routine is a bit, well, inflexible. Oh, but can I share with you why I guard it carefully?
Midnight is my gratitude hour. A quiet available no other time of the day.
The Gratitude Hour of Insomnia
It starts by thankfully acknowledging God’s gift of another night with my family accounted for and safe. It becomes my working hour and I read and write, write and ponder, pray and listen…
It is “our” time. I grow and work and dream big as I talk to God. While the house is quiet and my mind free of distractions, I hear Him most clearly.
It gives me peace, these few preserved hours. Passion for another day to begin.
Overflowing gratitude for such sweet communion.
I don’t know how to fix insomnia
Insomnia doesn’t play well with mornings. Likely you are struggling with that too.
We wouldn’t choose it, because the world doesn’t slow down for those with little sleep.
Yoga, meds and/or lavender don’t work for everyone. I’ve tried it all over the decades. Would I rather be asleep, and creative in the sunshine? It is beyond my choice.
The last refuge of the insomniac is a sense of superiority to the sleeping world– Leonard Cohen
So if you are awake, like me, in the midnight hours? Are you able to turn your brain off?
Perhaps your creative muse is waiting at the desk. Or the book you wanted to read can be set aside with a favorite blanket and a heating pad, just in case. The pantry might invite you to organize, or classical music becomes alive without the clamor of littles.
While we are awake, let’s find that sweet time. God loves to spend our late hours with us, and in the stillness, you might find unexpected blessings.
Resources to encourage you:
- Midnight Mom Devotional: 365 Prayers to Put Your Momma Heart to Rest
- The Contentment Journal
- Heating pad
- Woodwick candle
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