Most nights I fall into bed exhausted and go to sleep immediately. But there are days when my mind won’t quit chattering and sleep eludes me.
I have found that I can trick my brain into slowing down by counting my blessings. I count on my fingers the things for which I am thankful that day. It might be clean sheets or fuzzy socks or something equally small. But it gets me thinking about all of the things that are going well in my life, rather than fussing about the things that I cannot change. By the time I run out of fingers to count on, I am usually drifting off to sleep.
You might also try counting your blessings while you are wide awake this Thanksgiving Day. To get you started on your list, here are some things for which I am thankful.
• My daughter and her family who help me almost daily to continue to do the things that I love, even though my eyesight is failing.
• A comfortable home at Abbeyfield House where my new housemates provide companionship. Loneliness is a huge health risk for seniors. Social isolation puts seniors at greater risk of death than factors such as obesity and physical inactivity.
• Good health. I was just four years old when I was hospitalized with polio. Even at that age I knew it was serious. After that close escape, the rest of my life has been a bonus. When I’m walking in the sunshine I feel fortunate that disease didn’t limit my mobility.
• My church family. Statistics show that people who are part of a faith community live longer. I think their lives are happier too. There are so many nonagenarians in our congregation that I’m sure my life expectancy was lengthened just by stepping through the church doors.
What are YOU thankful for? Maybe you could start a list now and pass it around to your friends so they can add to it. Maybe you could make a list during your Thanksgiving celebration. And the next time you are having trouble settling down for a nap, you could pull out your list and dream yourself to sleep.
