I’d been having fitful sleep of late. The kind that dreams too hard, tosses too much, and never quite restful enough. Probably partly due to the keto diet, which I’m still easing into. I long for that kind of sleep that’s so deep and restful, you wake up feeling fresh and vibrant, energized and eager to start the day. When was the last time I had that? It’s been so long since that I had forgotten when. But it’s not just about the keto diet. I had the same issues even before the diet change. There’s something more……something that’s missing.

Have you ever had one of those days, where you worked hard, did your best, not everything happened according to plan, but you managed it well and feel good about how the day proceeded. Perhaps it’s one of those days where you shut down you computer feeling that it had been a productive day, a job well done. You don’t feel exhausted - in fact, even a bit energized, as you stride in half-hops back home for a great dinner, having funny and great conversations with your spouse and other family members. Or perhaps it was the weekend, and you just had a great day out - in the park, by the beach, in the hills. You did something new, experienced something out of your normal day-to-day - you surfed for the first time, hiked up that hill, or read a book lazily on the lawn in the park. You were fully present to your family, friends or yourself on this lovely weekend day, and you finished off with a warm, wholesome dinner. There was a certain magic to the day. Then going to bed with a smiling heart, a body not overly tired but yet sweet for the pillow. And having deep restful sleep. 

When was the last time you had that?  

“No, we don’t need more sleep. It’s our souls that are tired, not our bodies. We need nature. We need magic. We need adventure. We need freedom. We need truth. We need stillness. We don’t need more sleep, we need to wake up and live.” ~ Brooke Hampton

I love my goals and dreams and working hard to achieve them. But I have a tendency to overdo things, and forget about the magic, about nature, about adventure, about feeling free. I follow my schedule to get the most done, but after a while, the restlessness creeps in. The restlessness for magic and adventure. 

So, yes. Perhaps it’s not more sleep, nor better sleep I need. Perhaps it’s magic. That’s the signal coming through. It’s Sunday, and on rest days when I deload and unload, stuff always comes up. Needs unmet, desires unheeded - they float up to the surface, and what were previously tiny whispers during the week are now louder, clearer and listened to. The practice of Sundays. It makes me know what I need to do for the next week at least. 

More magic, more adventure, more nature, more freedom. Then sleep can come.