Drawing Attention --- A Metaphor for insomnia :)

:)

Have you ever tried

to "not think" of a pink elephant at all costs?

There is a lesson there 

but it is different from the lesson learned 

when you try to do something only your unconscious can do for you,

because no one can think a thought

that will add one inch to their height

or digest their food in a different way, 

and if you ever go someplace with a child

who is very, very hungry,

you will very quickly learn

that telling a child to ignore that hunger

won't help matters at all.

They know they want something 

and they want it now

and telling them to ignore it

won't help to forget it

but distracting their attention

with something of great interest

may help them forget that hunger entirely.

So you can take them on a roller coaster

or you can do something that makes them 

laugh,

or you can have them close their eyes

and draw circles on their forehead

asking them to tell you 

what color is this circle,

and what color is the next, and what color is the line you trace 

from one side to the other, 

that looks a bit like the edge of a pond,

with cattails growing here and there, 

and rabbits playing in the grass

while the sun shines warmly

and the breeze gently blows in the trees

as the water washes against the shore

and the turtles sleep in the light

with clouds drifting by above

in the clear blue sky,

changing form and shape

as the birds sing to each other.

And that drifting off occurs

without knowing where or when 

even as the child tries

to open the eyes

and to not drift away,

that pleasant scene quiets the mind

and helps it forget to try

to be aware or unaware

of anything at all,

and that's all there needs to be ---

and all you need to do.

zzzzzzzzzz :)