A good night’s sleep....with Snoopy

 It seems that many people’s childhood memories involve a favorite stuffed animal.  Whether you carried it around faithfully at all times or it was dutifully waiting for you next to your pillow when you would go to sleep at night.  Many stuffed forms - teddy bears, kittens, dogs, dolls, penguins (yes, I still have a lovely purple penguin given to me when I departed for Canada.   My siblings menagerie included a bear, a frog, and Digger the Dog.   

As a small child,  I had one very large dog, Ruff-Ruff, who was a bit too big to take to bed at night but was lovingly hugged to a very threadbare state.  On the other hand, Snoopy, was the perfect size to accompany me to sleep at night … as proven by a picture supplied by my mom.  Funny, I still often sleep with my arms above my head, but no longer accompanied by Snoopy. 

I don’t think we appreciate when we are younger how lucky we are that we can climb into bed with Snoopy and drift off to dreamland.  And sleep all through the night.  I’m staying at a friend’s cottage this weekend and I certainly find that the fresh air at a cottage often bodes for a very good night’s sleep.

There was a time in my life when I battled with insomnia.  I tried many things and it took about 2 years before I was able to get back into a healthy sleep routine. Through the experience, I came to appreciate the ability to fall asleep, stay asleep and wake feeling rested. When I go home to Texas to visit my parents I always sleep well.  Yes, they have great mattresses on their guest beds, but I also think it is the feeling of being wrapped in all that is home.

Maybe that is what our stuffed animals symbolize too.