I’d been sleeping like a rock lately. Which is to say, badly. (Rocks can’t sleep.) And that night was no exception. Brain woke me up at 2 a.m. “Hey!”
“Go back to sleep, Brain!”
“I can’t. I’m feeling weird and vaguely anxious.”
“Well, do that while I sleep!”
“Noooo!” Brain whined. Brain is remarkably stubborn once he’s made up our mind.
“Why?” I groaned. And then a third voice chimed in: “Don’t waste your time asking why. Ask what you can learn from this.”
“Ohhkaay! I whined. “What can I learn from this?”
“That there’s always treasure to be found, even if it’s not the treasure you sought. And in the end, it often turns out to be far more valuable.
What treasure could something as worthless and irritating as insomnia produce? I wondered. And then Brain and I wandered from that thought to another, and another, forgetting what originally woke us up, growing groggier as we went, and feeling strangely peaceful.
When I awoke, I was thinking about pearls.
Pearls are unique among gems. They begin with a worthless irritant, a jagged grain of sand. The Oyster coats them with its nacre (“mother-of-pearl”), its tears, if you will. But unlike the original irritant, nacre is beautiful. It’s the Oyster’s essence, what it’s made of. And as layer after layer of the beautiful substance is added, the pearl itself becomes increasingly beautiful.
I lay there admiring the pearl I’d produced: A fresh way of coping with insomnia. “Brain” and I had followed one image after another, coating the original irritant with layers of reflective calm. A calm far more beautiful than dreamless oblivion. I’d found a treasure…
More valuable than the one I sought.
We’re all surrounded by treasures. We just never take time to relax and enjoy them. Happy day.
I know what you mean, Mitch. That dastardly late night brain blitz passes this way too, though I’m not sure if all the results end up as pearls.
Oh, definitely not all, Pete.
Thanks for the post
My pleasure, L.G.
I’ve learned to keep thanking our Creator for those prolific interludes, and to keep a notepad handy. Even trying to decipher my notes next morning may become inventive. . .
;>)
Such truth in your words! The pearls of wisdom or perhaps diamonds are indeed created by the work and pressures of our mind. While my overthinking can cause a bit of stress at 2 am, it can also produce thoughts that have turned out to be solutions and sometimes future story lines. Thank you for your work Mitch. I so enjoy your ideas!
Delighted that it spoke to you, Kiki.
I’m going to try this! I often wake up these days and find the more I try to get back to sleep, the more frustrated I get. I’m going to try using this awake time to think about good and pleasant things and see if my brain can find its way back to calm. I might even have a lightbulb moment or hear the still small voice…
A simple prayer is a good start. And then, I find it’s important to let my thoughts go where they will, rather than force them to stay “on topic”–that tends to keep me awake.
If I say The Lord’s Prayer when I awaken in the middle of the night, or do yoga breathing, that will often erase my stressful thoughts and sleep will sneak up on me. I’m also going to try your way of coping with insomnia by conversing with my midnight brain. I’ll try not to be rude so I can make some of those precious pearls. 🙂
;>)
This happens to me frequently – busy brain, I mean, waking me up around 2 am and refusing to be quiet. I have stopped trying to argue with it but instead get up and do something to distract that unwanted hyperactivity. Fortunately, being retired, I don’t usually have to get up early nowadays so can sleep in late and catch up what I lost to insomnia. The downside is that it’s disturbing my circadian rhythms … oh well, can’t win ’em all!
I know the feeling, Catherine.
“once he’s made up our mind” – haha!
Glad you caught that, Christina. ;>)
Love the insight Mitch. Still dislike the insomnia. Yes, it’s more than worth it
Thanks, and I agree, Gary.
I love the comparison, Mitch. Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure, Michael.
Wishing you a great weekend.
Amen! Love this!
Thank you, Carol.
I do my best writing at 2am, Mitch. I love the peace of the night. I like to look out the window and see who else is awake and make up stories about them. Failing that I read.
We need His rest, not sleep.
💝💝💝
Sometimes when sleep alludes me I’ll recite a scripture passage or chapter in my head. Upon awaking in the morning I realize: I never completed the recitation!
🧡
Sleepily, but not asleep, i have taken note.
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It reminds me of a journaling prompt I did earlier this week. Set a timer for 5 minutes and do nothing, absolutely nothing. Then once time’s up, explore the thoughts, images, questions and answers that came up in the space of doing nothing.
It’s beautiful what we discover when we relax into the images inside our head.
I’ll have to try that sometime, June.
Mr. Mitch, this reminds me of the story of Yahweh Calling to a young boy named Samuel.
“3 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. 2 It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), 3 and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, 4 that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 The Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. 8 So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” 11 The Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them. 14 Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”” – 1 Samuel 3:1-14, NASB95
Sir, have you considered that this insomnia that God Has Gifted you with could be invaluable time that you could spend communing with God free of distractions? It sounds to me like this is a personal invitation from God to enjoy His Company.
There’s usually so much to do during the day that easily takes our attention in a million different directions but the night time produces such quiet as the much of your region of the world is asleep.
sweet!
Thank you, Virginia.