Insomniac

Everyday people go through obstacles that help make up the structure of their individual lives, and whether people like it or not, these obstacles may be filled with struggles and disappointment. Sometimes these obstacles may not be obstacles that we particularly planned out for ourselves in the hopes of succeeding; however, certain things must be faced due to them being completely out of one's control. After a long hard day of school, I find myself ready to wind down and forget about the 7 hours of laborious learning I've faced throughout the day. Sure, saying that learning is laborious may seem a little dramatic, but who can blame me? Day in and day out, I come to school and learn about things that I may never end up using again for the rest of my life. Certain subjects I don't mind (anatomy, psych, and stat...........science and math are my thing ya know) while there are others I don’t exactly care for; yet there’s nothing I can do about it. As a student, I come in and learn what I'm told I need to know in order to function for the rest of my life, whether I want to engage in that particular subject or not. With the overabundance of information I take in from day to day, the idea of sleeping always seems to put a smile on my face. Sleeping is where I can rest and take my mind off things. Sleeping is where I can forget the worries and stress that arise due to my day to day activities and simply let my mind wander. Sleeping is where I can simply let my imagination take over and fill my head with vibrant dreams. Sleeping is a necessity for my sanity. If I couldn't sleep, if I couldn't fully unwind and relax after a day of hard work, I'd more than likely lose my mind. It fascinates me when others connect to one another through forms or art or literature, and one piece of poetry, by Maya Angelou, that really seems to connect with me and my deep desire/love towards the act of sleeping is called "Insomniac". The poem goes a little like this:

There are some nights when

Sleep plays coy,

Aloof and disdainful.

And all the wiles

That I employ to win

Its service to my side

Are useless as wounded pride,

And much more painful.

 

When I first read this poem, I felt an instant connection; it was as if all the feelings that were arising from this speaker due their sudden attack of insomnia were the feelings that I’ve once faced before on one of those rough nights where there is constant turning and discomfort within my own bed. Dealing with sleeping is almost as if you really are dealing with something “coy”; some nights, sleep comes instantly, almost too quickly, while others it seems as if sleep while never come about. The idea of sleep almost represents something that has a mind of its own, and there seems to be a never ending battle where you as the sleeper are playing a constant game of cat and mouse. When sleep doesn’t arise, and we’re forced to engage in a night full of insomnia, it seems as if “all the wiles” do arise and we are left to deal with the thoughts that revolve around our daily struggles. When these struggles are all we can think about, they do become “much more painful” seeing how without sleep, without that break in the day, we’d never have the chance to rest and forget about everything that’s going on around us for a couple of hours. As children, when we were given the chance to nap at school yet constantly refused and loathed the idea of going engaging slumber, we failed to realize how important sleep really is for a healthy human mind. Without sleep, people would never be able to brush their worries away and participate in the outer body experience of dreaming. Without sleep, unsettled emotions and actions driven from adrenaline would never have time to settle and hidden conflicts would arise between those all around us. Without sleep, people wouldn’t fully be able to be who they are. We need sleep, more than we’ll ever know. Ya feel me?