Mr. Sandman

I love sleep. Somedays I would be content to just stay in bed all day if I could. However, as much as I love sleep, it doesn't always come easy for me.

At the end of the day, my body longs to lie in bed and rest. I can feel it in every muscle of my body. But my back aches as I try and settle in and it makes it hard to doze off sometimes.

So I either stay up and watch tv or I lie in bed...and I think.

I know this is a pretty common thing to do - to lie in bed and think. I've noticed recently that the thoughts I have before I fall asleep are never trivial. They have nothing to do with what I watched on tv, what I ate for dinner, or whether the growing mountain of laundry will get folded come morning.

Instead, My thoughts tend to revolve around what's important to me. I think of my family - both near and far. I think about my boys and the things they did that made me laugh that day. I think of how I shouldn't have raised my voice so quickly when they weren't listening to me. I think about Anthony's snoring next to me and that no matter how loud it may get, I won't mind, because nothing compares to the peace of falling asleep next to the person you can't bear to be without.

Perhaps the thoughts I have before I drift off, are the most real thoughts I have of the day.

I know that when old age comes, and my days left on this earth are numbered, my thoughts won't be that I wished I had more money, or spent more time chasing a career. I won't wish I drove a nicer car or had a bigger house. There is no doubt in my mind that all I will be thinking about is my family and loved ones. The things that matter most.

I love sleep. But I love the clarity that comes whilst trying to get to dreamland even more.