Things that go bump in the night and other scary moments...................

   I made a conscious decision not to write about the upcoming elections, although this year there could be a great deal to write about, at least  in Maine. I considered some thoughts about the holidays, maybe Halloween, but that might be for another time.

  The other night, as the rain quietly descended upon Pittsfield and the surrounding area, I was startled out of a deep sleep with a loud 'bump'. I know there are children's stories about things that go 'bump in the night', designed to generate nightmares in childhood dreams. Could it be something hiding under the bed? 
   It is funny how darkness often causes us to be somewhat more fearful, probably because it is difficult for most of us to see in the dark. But think about lying awake in bed and imaging all those creatures crawling on the ceiling, the walls and the floor,,, and now crawling all over my arms and legs. And those two little eyes staring at me from the corner of the room? I hope they belong to the dog.

   Not too often, I will wake up in the middle of the night either because the dog jumped on the bed, some squirrel raced across the roof or a tree branch brushed against the house because of the wind. At that time, in a semi-sleep state, the mind races. What just happened? But as I lay quietly trying to get back to sleep, I begin to count sheep or try to solve all the problems that didn't get solved the day before, or anticipate the events of tomorrow and before long, if I'm lucky, I drop off back to sleep. 
   Then in what seems to be only a few short minutes the alarm announces  the beginning of another day. Waking, I have little recollection of what I thought about in those sleepless moments. Had I solved the problems of the world? If I did, why didn't I write them down for future reference.

   I don't necessarily believe in spirits or things that move about us from the past, although there have been times when it felt that I was not alone the room. Just look at poor Bob Marley in the 'Christmas Carol.' Those spirits certainly did keep him busy for a while. But the lessons he learned. Wow! And Christmas is right around the corner. Maybe there is hope for me!

     The mind works in mysterious ways and whether you call it a 'bump in the night' or an 'ah-ha' moment (a daylight version of a bump in the night), there is a time we come to an 'awareness' of something we have struggled to remember or in some cases, have tried to forget. How often, at the most unsuspecting moment, have we remembered where we put something or have finally remembered someone's name, perhaps at three o'clock in the morning

   Now I am sure there is someone out there reading this blog and saying....”yep, he's lost it this time, again! Too many bumps in the night for him, perhaps from falling out of bed. But with so much going on in the world, there are bound to be things that get tucked away in one of those little crevices in the brain and when you least expect it, out they pop, like the name of your first real date ( other than taking you cousin to the prom) or where you put the extra set of car keys. In many cases, the things we suddenly remember are not that important, but still it is interesting to see how the mind works.

   Those sleepless moments in the middle of the night can be very frustrating though. Why now, keeping me awake, as I fight to get back to sleep. I do need get my beauty sleep!
   But just to make sure, let me check under the bed just one more time.