By the Dawn's Early Light

It's 4AM and no, I'm not just waking up. I haven't been to sleep and finally that's OK with me.

Not so long ago I lived in terror of not being able to sleep at night---so of course I didn't. My insomnia-anxiety nearly ruined my health and made my disposition decidedly unattractive. Or so they tell me.

My family assured me that not sleeping wouldn't kill me, but if the situation didn't change, they would. Clearly we needed a plan. First, there would be no more conk-out pills. Then something would have to be found to keep my brain positively occupied.

My brain. You know, the one with a life of its own, completely independent of my body. My brain, the one that is convinced I'm still 35 years old and, as Carole tells me, that thinks the world is my business.

My kids suggested, "Why don't you just turn on the light and read?" Read? I didn't know from reading. The only things I'd ever read outside of work were the sports and news. Since I wasn't interested in philosophy or the single-electron theory--the kind of books we have here at home, I figured I would go to the public library to check things out, so to speak.

I decided it made sense to look at books in my favorite subject: the law. I've always wanted to be a lawyer (that's another story) and I love mystery so I checked out two books by Scott Turow and one by John Grisham.I was hooked!

Before I started blogging I was up to a one-book-a-day habit. But I've cut down now that I spend several hours blog-surfing and writing. So even though it's 4AM this morning, sometimes I actually fall sleep many hours earlier. And that has to be a good thing for me---and my brain.

I just found this pic of my grandchildren's cat. It has nothing to do with sleeping or reading but it has a lot to do with laughing...and that also has to be a good thing for me and my brain!