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He’s curled up on a cushion between out two chairs. Happily asleep. He’s not a cat that twitches much when he dreams. Some of the kick out their legs and run after mice I guess when they sleep. But my boy cat stays calm, a twitch of his ear, or his nose is all he does. Cats sleep for sixteen hours a day as far as I know. Imagine that. Head down, dreaming over what food he will be getting for tea. Slightly pampered. Always loved.
I must sleep
I must dream
Stay calm
Lay softly
Feel relaxed
Breathing deeply
Taking time
To rest quietly.
I must sleep
I need rest
I must find my dreamworld.
Will I rest
Or will it be another sleepless night?
I lie counting sheep.
Lying comfortably in the crook of his arm,
the tom cat lies sleeping,
cuddled up against his human dad.
Gently purring,
curled up and cute,
he is relaxed and happy.
Black and white fur,
white whiskers.
Just a twitch of his ears,
now and then.
Hunker down,
Hide and sleep
Find your dreams
And hug them deep.
Find a space
Where you can live
Where things are quiet
And silence keep.
Make a nest
Make a bed,
Stay inside
But in your head
Take a flight
Around your room,
Then through the open window
Zoom!
Above the world
The air is clear
The sky is bright
Bird song, you hear.
Look down on streets
So still so quiet,
With hunkered people
Bunkered, still.
But you are free
And safe to soar
Flying high
No fear
Just dreams.
(from an idea inspired by Martha Kennedys blog ‘I am a writer, yes I am’.)
In winter the cats retreat to their cat tree. It’s angled to be close to the radiator. The female fits neatly on her tray. But the male is more squashed up. He squeezes on but his leg and tail sometimes flop off the edge. His tray is slightly further away from the radiator, bur they have always kept the same positions, they don’t swap. Sometimes if they get too hot they go off in search of different places. Then comes the battle of the armchairs. The cats know which is my hubby’s and like stealing his seat if he goes out of the room….
If I coukd I would shrink down to cat size and curl up on the top tray above the two cats and relax. They don’t use it so it’s free….
Dear Agony Aunt,
My sleep patterns have stayed the same for twenty years. Staying up late was to do with being awake when my husband got in from work around 1am. I would then have to get up for work in the morning so was always tired. He could sleep in later as he was on a permanent “noon” shift. Now however he goes to bed a lot earlier than me. If I go to bed early I have to read to relax and then I can nod off. He, on the other hand, must be in a different time zone to me. He goes to bed if I have to go out in the evening. The last two nights when I got in he was in bed by 9.30pm.
Great you say. But then he woke up at 2am as I was coming to bed and we ended up chatting till 4am. It was getting light.
So Dear Agony Aunt, what do I do? Eschew grown up bedtimes and go to bed early. This would have the effect of trying to get us back in sync, but I would have to miss late night TV and news. Or should I just go to bed when I want, which would at least prevent me lying in bed trying to get to sleep for hours. I’m hoping this is a phase. My hubby is getting older but he lives on nervous energy, he’s always moving and talking in the day, and it’s like his batteries have drained in the evening. Maybe I should make him strong coffee….
I feel like I’ve turned into a cat, she said, all I ever do is sleep. Even when I’m awake I feel drowsy.
The doctor checked her pulse, looked in her eyes, checked her throat and temperature. Well I can’t find anything physically wrong he said. I suggest you try drinking coffee? Are there any things affecting your stress levels?
Well, that’s it. She said, I feel totally relaxed. Then I feel sleepy. She yawned hugely, see, she said, it’s getting to me now?
So how much time do you sleep at night? Asked the doctor? A good eight or nine hours solid, she said.
Later when she got home she immediately sat down and kicked off her shoes. I’ll put the shopping away later she thought. She never noticed the trickle of white gas seeping out of a hole in the skirting board. The odourless mist wafted gently upwards. Soon she was fast asleep…
