A Friend indeed, not a Friend in Need!

     

 The 27^th of October,2008 was a fine sunny day. As usual, I was busy in my class, standing in front of the students. A phone call informed me about the inevitability of my presence at home. Wasting not even a single moment I was on the heels and then on the wheels and reached home. Soon we, the couple found ourselves in the hospital and my husband had to undergo an angioplasty. The nightfall took my husband to the  I. C . U and I was in the room, allotted for the bystander. And this was the time when I really longed for the visit of a guest. I wished very badly to be with this guest, for I expected that this guest would soothe me in a soft gentle way. But not even a distant trace,I could view, as if this guest had purposefully kept me away.

Can anybody guess who this guest is? This guest is none other than the VVIP(Very Valuable Intimate Part) of our life, about who I will mention later. His presence is a boon for many people for he visits them regularly every night when they really yearn for his company. He entertains those people in their naps, whenever they feel so. At the same time, he becomes a bane for many others, as he sometimes pays untimely visits to them and interferes with their day-to-day activities. We consider him as a very important guest since his presence is the part and parcel of our life. He can to a certain extent console and comfort us in our worries, tension, tiredness, loneliness, fatigue(both mental and physical), monotony, anxiety etc. But instead of allowing us to lie in his lap at this time, he remains far from us with a snigger on his face. In fact, he deserts us from his reach, throwing us to unwanted rubbish thoughts.

  

If this guest visits and remains with us in our need for a while,  we may feel a weight off our head. If at all, he is gracious enough to be with us, he moves away from us at the slightest sound of even a pin-drop, prefers he no indulgence. When we want to be away from him while reading and driving, sure he visits many of us putting the driver in jeopardy. This guest is none other than ‘The Great Sleep’. Sleep is a state or condition of our body and mind, which remain relaxed and inactive sometimes in need.  

He puts himself in many fancy-dress forms while looming in our eyes.  In insomnia dress, he troubles some people by being an irregular visitor, whereas for some others, in hypersomnia dress, he appears to be a disturbance. These forms of dress that drowns the sleeper in the danger of high B.P and other ailments. In it sometimes he goes to the extent of tarnishing the image of persons, who may indulge in interfering even in others’ sleep for help. And in a third form namely the well known somnambulism; the sleeper walks with a sleepy mind in a dreamy way. The sleeper is unaware of his body that is in action, as the actor Mr.Jayaram does in a motion picture.

 Always he is not so playful as to keep himself away from us. Sometimes he seriously blesses us with his company providing much pleasure in leisure. He prefers youngsters to old age people and any amount of time he is ready to spend with the former. Neither, he keeps any gender discrimination nor does he show any age difference in entertaining people. Sleep attains various forms, say sound sleep, distracted sleep, nap, dozing and so on. The nature of sleep depends upon the condition of the body, mind and circumstances of the sleeper. Some people declare his presence by playing the orchestra- snoring, whispering, dialogue etc.- while some others engage themselves in some incoherent conversation. It is interesting to watch the mode and method of sleep a sleeper attains, as a few keep their mouths wide open and a few others extend their tongue beyond their lips.

He, the sleep is very clever because he inclines towards the people, who are comfortable with their physique and psyche. He exhibits no reluctance in approaching them, as he doesn’t have to exert much pressure here. Mostly, he doesn’t like to be with ailing people, as they may remain noisy by uttering screams of pain. But always he is not so merciless, as at times he passes his time with the needy. In fact, some, though they are in need, drive him away by being immersed in unwanted thoughts and feelings, awful games and recreations and untimely reading and works. And yet such people have the habit of blaming him saying 'Sleep is far away, sleep is far away'. It is your own fault, not his. You drive away your baseless thoughts and keep away the internet devices if you want to cuddle him. He sure will stroke you lovingly. Good health, good food, good thoughts, good work and above all good spirit with a heart full of love, no envy will bring sleep beside you. He will turn to be ‘A Guest that Cares, but never Rare in Need.’

Sarala.