Restful Insomnia

Daylight savings/standard/confusion time drives me nuts. Despite setting my clocks ahead during the day (which helps a tiny bit), my body and time orientation is all skewed for days. I heard there are more car accidents the Monday after the switch than usual, so drive carefully.

My idea: We should spring ahead one half-hour and stop the changes. A half-hour change seems no odder than our current back and forth system.

What do you say?

Enjoy your nights,
Sondra

Ah, my manuscript is done. The book is retitled: A Better Brain for Any Age for publication by Conari in the fall (2008). Lots of research, some writing angst–defining emotions and creativity was a thrill.

Here’s what the book will contain:

• * Short Tour of the Brain
• * Not All in Your Head: The Body-Mind
• * Eating for Brilliance
• * Your Brain’s Environment
• * Play With Your Memory: Boosters and Stretchers 
• * Hey, Genius! Intelligence, Learning Styles, and Creativity
• * Emotions and the Brain: When You Can’t See the Forest for the Angst
• * Meditation and a Bigger Perspective: Less is More

I’m ready to blog again–in between edits, medical writing, and the stuff that pays.

Enjoy your nights,
Sondra

What a healing time. Sadness, friendship, sand castles, in and out with the waves.

We went to Port Townsend–Mary, Sallie, Nancy and me–picked up Jesse and found Nora’s house. We remembered Diane’s laugh, her life changes, our loss. We walked to North Beach and, inspired by Mary, made a sand castle of our memories of Diane. Then the tide came and took it back to the ocean.

Healing into rest.

Enjoy your nights,
Sondra

They’re featuring MJ Ryan’s This Year I Will (MJ produced Random Acts of Kindness), Mira Kirshenbaum’s Everything Happens for a Reason, and 365 Energy Boosters co-authored by me and Susannah Seton. It’s a nice boost to get a book treat in the mail.

I’ve found the binary bread crumbs back to my blog. I had to geek into unknown territory for several hours to find my user name, since my automatic sign-on had quit. I remembered why I don’t use automated phone numbers–because I don’t want to forget how to call with my fingers. Now I know my user name (and no, I won’t tell you).

Meanwhile, my nights were filled with thoughts about sleeping and insomnia. I’m clearly insomniated (some word) by my mind. But others, like my husband who denies he has Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, is driven awake my his jumpy body. Right now, I think that those whose bodies keep them awake–through snoring/apnea, PLMD, Restless Leg Syndrome and more–would do best to check with a doctor. Even husbands who don’t listen to their wives. For those who have active minds, Restless Insomnia can calm your nights…

…and sometimes it can’t calm you. I spent most of last night crying because my closest friend has a tumor with no medical remedy. I needed to cry more than to sleep. All I could do was go with it, and discover lessons on the way. Even if I’d rather not.

Sondra

Some nights it’s easy to fall into rest. Then some nights, rest goes to an all-night bar while you’re home alone, abandoned.

Some days, you have more inspiration than you can handle. Other days, your mind searches for brilliance but all you see is the same old same old.

That’s because your mind isn’t the source of inspiration–nor of sleep or rest. Inspiration comes from us being present to being human, allowing the larger force of nature to connect with our nature.

Find your inspiration and natural self through focusing on the sensations in your body:

• How are you breathing today? Short, long, sighs, growls?
• What’s touching your skin?
• How are you sitting in the chair? Is one side of your bottom heavier than the other?
• Where’s your head in space?
• What’s the sensation in your gut—your second brain?
• Do you have any images, feelings, or sounds associated with your body? Perhaps heat, color, or movement.

You may not get inspired or exhausted just by noticing your body—yet. However you will get a break from all your constant thoughts. Then a little later, inspiration or deep rest will knock on your door—and you will hear it.