Article September 6, 2010 Issue

A PEACEFUL NIGHT'S REST

BY BARB GOODSPEED GRANT

What keeps you awake at night? Excitement? Is your mind churning like the wheels of a racing locomotive—making plans, making plans, making plans? Or does your thinking more closely resemble a cow chewing its cud, slowly rehashing regrettable events? Or perhaps you're fretting about the future, or ping-ponging back and forth with indecision?

Years ago, when starting an exciting but demanding new job, I was plagued with insomnia. I managed to snag some hours of sleep each night, but far fewer than normal. It seemed like every time I checked the clock, another hour had clicked by. But during those long wakeful hours, over many weeks, I discovered valuable lessons.

I learned that rather than stewing about problems for hours on end—even the problem of not being able to fall asleep!—I could be a problem solver in the night. By gaining my own peace, I realized I could be helping others find theirs. Changing a part changes the whole; and humanity is, after all, one body of thinkers.