“Here, mommy, put this on your dresser. So you can look at it before you go to bed.” Then he handed me this crayon drawing, full of love and rainbow scribbles.
He’s only 3. How did he know it was just the thing I needed? To help me fall asleep at night. To help me focus on goodness. To block out the worries from the day.
This simple act of crayon kindness got me thinking. What do I meditate on before going to sleep? Is my mind full of worry or gratitude? How does this impact my night of rest? Are there things I can do to prepare my mind for a night of peace?
Perhaps it’s as simple as gazing at a piece of child’s artwork. Or looking at my hands and noticing my great grandmother’s engagement ring that my Nanna thought I’d appreciate – do I appreciate it? Do I actually notice it? It’s a key to the past, to a woman whose genes are wrapped tight inside me, who, four generations later, speaks to me through the lips of my children.
Her ring and my sweet boy’s art: why not study them before I close my eyes? What might they teach me while I sleep? Surely, they are more instructive than recounting past wrongs I can’t seem to forget. Surely, they are reminders of what’s true and whole in this life, of family and love unconditional. Surely, dwelling on such things is better than the downest down pillow or the silkiest silk sheets.
What do you meditate on before you go to bed? What do you reach for to heal your head and hold your heart?
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Sadly, too often, I meditate on Netflix or Serial before I fall asleep. You can imagine how well that leads to actual restful sleep. More and more I realize I need to still my mind not drowning it out with more sound. Some nights when I put what’s best for me before what’s easiest, I listen to a sleep meditation. How different my life might be if I did that every night!