It’s a good question, I think.
How do you handle yourself and life when you feel restless?
Many struggle with the restless urge to be on the go, almost as if they were never meant to be sitting. Go, as in getting in some mode of transportation and hitting the roads, rails, waterways, or airways… But most of those require you to “sit”. I mean, there’s only so far you can walk while driving your car, riding a train, enjoying a boat, or flying to some destination.
I’ve come to realize that this restless urge
is probably related to my fairly new
insatiable desire
to see more
of Planet Earth.
Perhaps I have the spirit of a wanderer, explorer, or someone who is not satisfied without learning what’s over the horizon, or down that lonely looking road. It was Buffalo Bill who said, “My restless, roaming spirit would not allow me to remain at home very long.” In my past, I have been guilty of getting National Geographic maps, framing them, hanging them in my work space, and staring at the unknown areas and wondering what it would be like driving down that road, or looking at the mountainous valley!
All of this kind of restlessness requires money… How do you play the lottery?
However, there is another form of restlessness I struggle with more. It’s often experienced in the middle of the night. I wake, my brain gets going while the body knows it needs to stay in bed. Before you know it, I’m wide awake, uncomfortable with the bed and sitting up somewhere in the house contemplating life, busy schedule, or some issue I’ve been dealing with. I get busy tackling some task, but in my tired state I know I better not commit to handling intricate details! Most often, I find myself turning to my computer…
Often, I find myself blogging!
Take last night. Two hours after turning off the light I’m awake trying to figure out why, and then I convince myself to go back to sleep. Only to be awake again in two hours and unable to force my brain to shut down, I get up and head for the couch…
What gives? Life is not difficult right now, although the task list is full and I know some deadlines are appearing on the horizon, but there is no reason to even think about what is looming. Especially in the middle of the night.
Fortunately, my schedule is somewhat flexible so I can handle the next day having finally convinced myself to sleep around 5am. And I do. Feeling out of sorts when I wake back up at 8am. Rush to get the garbage out. Quick! Whew. Now. Cup of coffee and plant myself into my normal morning routine two hours late.
Back in other parts of living I would simply pick up a newspaper and read until I’m tired. News does not require me to make sense of what I’m reading. The bible, on the other hand, only wakes me up more! But I quit taking the paper when they could not assure it’s delivery by 6am at the very latest… I’m not leaving the house with a paper at the end of the drive advertising I’m not home!
So. I’m on a quest. Just what I need, right? Another task to accomplish. But I’m placing a high importance on this task. Quest: How to make my restless nights disappear. Let’s see. What does this comprise of?
- We upgraded the bed and pillow several years ago, so I know it has nothing to do with an old mattress!
- The room is kept at a cool 64 degrees, so I know it’s not that!
- The fans keep a cool breeze flowing so it never gets that stuffy, quiet surreal feeling.
- Perhaps a good effort of online research will give me more possibilities.
- Perhaps my good ol’ (young) doc might have a suggestion. Let’s see what his schedule is like!
- What else…hmmm… I will come up with another avenue to consider. Probably in the middle of the night!
The only thing I know, I do not want to go long into life with the inability to rest and sleep for my usual 5-6 hours!