Oh, to fall asleep. Sleeping is a total luxury and an ultimate pleasure. Sleep can be elusive, though. I am a good sleeper. I fall asleep fast. I sleep very hard. I dream. I have very lucid dreams and only rarely have disturbing nightmares. My dream life is complex and vivid. I can have a fully formed dreams during a brief nap on the sofa. I can sleep almost anywhere. Once I decide to sleep, I fall off to sleep easy. Lately, my sleep has been disturbed by leg cramps. I feel the cramps building, nudging me awake. I often wake BEFORE the cramp actually seizes up. I have a terrible time getting out of bed to stand and stretch and that will usually trigger the most intense spasm. But….then I go right back to sleep. Go figure….

I love naps. Little power naps. I can lie down on the floor in my office and sleep. I love to crawl into my bed, in a darkened room and sleep in the middle of the day, especially with ear plugs and the A/C cranked down very low.

I do have rituals with my sleep. I like my pillows just so: two standards under my head and a long king pillow along my side. I like high quality count sheets and even though we live in Florida, I have a blanket and spread and sometimes even an extra quilt on my bed. I sleep lying on my left side. Best of all I love my husband to curl up around behind me, spooned up against me. He has this way of fitting around me that is comforting and safe. He is away on a business trip right now and I have missed him.

I have not slept well.

My children have always “co-slept” with us. I nursed both of my sons while in bed and even while sleeping. They have their own rooms and go to bed in their own spaces, but there are times, in the wee hours of the morning, when my 11 year old son still crawls in to snuggle with me. My little guy, almost 7, is a sleep walker. I am sad to see them growing up. Soon, neither of them will seek the cuddling I have relished these past 11 years. And, I suppose that is just how time passes.

My newest sleep addition is one of our new cats, Gumbo. What a cat. He lies right on top of me, like a turtle sunning on a log. He is sweet and purrs very loudly.

I think I will take a nap today.