Thinking Out Loud, Volume CDXLV

There's a chain of mattress stores who call themselves "The Sleep Experts." Maybe they are. I really can't say for sure, but I have a feeling their "expertise" is only about mattresses, while there are many other aspects of sleep where their knowledge is more limited. Now, I don't claim to be an expert on any area of sleep, but I HAVE figured out a few things, and I'll share some of them with you today. No doubt, there are some medical issues that affect a person's sleep patterns, and I won't even try to get into them. I know a lot of people who say they don't sleep well, but for the most part, I sleep well practically every night, and here are six very practical reasons why I do and should also work for you: 1) If you can only splurge on one thing your entire life, it should be on your mattress. You will spend a third of your life on it, so make sure it's the best one you can afford. 2) Stay active during the day so you will be tired at bed time. There are times when I have to work weekends, but usually, other than going to church, I try to take it easy on Sundays, while every other day, I find plenty to do that makes me look forward to going to bed at night. 3) Clear your mind. There are two kinds of problems: The ones you can fix, and the ones you can't fix. If you have an issue you know you can handle, resolve to do so, then go to bed with the assurance it will be resolved. As far as the ones you can't fix, I learned a lesson from nature that helped me in that situation. A cold front was moving in, and ahead of it was some stormy weather. Not only was it raining hard, but the wind had shifted and the temperature was dropping fast. We humans seek shelter in those situations, but the cattle living in the pasture don't have that option. I was driving through a rural area of southern Texas at that time, and I passed a cow pasture. There was nowhere in that pasture for the cattle to find a place to be out of the weather, so it was a problem they couldn't fix, and here's how they handled it: They had lunch. Running around and getting all worried would've done them no good, so they accepted it as non avoidable, and resumed their normal activity. Also, we should keep in mind the things we spend so much time worrying about don't really harm us anyway. I remember one night when I knew I would be having a very unpleasant phone conversation at work the next morning, and there was no way out of it. Although I had no way of knowing what would be said, nor what the outcome would be, I decided there was nothing I could do about it anyway, so I slept like a baby. Sure enough, the call came and the outcome was not good, yet here I am today completely unharmed by that event. 4) Be at peace with yourself. When you go to bed at night knowing you are not living the way you should, and you're not happy with who you have become, it can result in sleepless nights. Here's the situation you're facing: You have a problem that will linger until it's fixed, and only you can fix it. Making things right may be awkward, and even make you feel temporarily uncomfortable, but when you make things right with God and your friends and family you have wronged, you will feel better and the sleepless nights will vanish. 5) When you lie down at night, keep your mind on pleasant thoughts. You know the things that make you happy. When your mind drifts to worrisome thoughts, force it back to the happy things. 6) When all else fails, try reading one of my "Thinking Out Loud" articles. That works better than a sleeping pill. Preston