Greater Happiness And Health Through Proper Rest

When Sampson arrived home after school, he couldn't help but to feel great. It was finally the weekend and everything seemed to be going his way. In fact, there was even a very special package waiting for him in his room. Sampson had forgotten all about the new video game that he had ordered, and now that it had actually come, he thought that life just couldn't get any better. A few weeks ago, when Sampson ordered the game, he had imagined that it would bring him much in the way of happiness. "My life will be perfect," he had thought. Now that he had it, everything that he had hoped for seemed to be coming true. The game was so much fun, and it was so exciting that he played it for the rest of the day. He even played it into the night.

For Sampson "into the night" turned out to be quite an understatement. Saturday morning came very quickly and there would be no sleeping in, for his morning chores needed to be completed bright and early. By the time his chores where finished, Sampson was feeling very tired, but instead of resting, he went right back to his video game. Everything that Sampson did that day was just a little bit slower and with slightly less energy than the day before. It was his excitement for the new game that helped to carry him through.

As you can probably imagine, Sunday played out in much the same way as Saturday. After doing his evening school work, instead of getting a good night of rest, Sampson found himself turning his game back on. Monday morning arrived right on schedule, and getting up for school seemed like an almost impossible task. Everything that Sampson did was now even slower and with much less energy than the days before.

Sampson hadn't realized exactly how tired he had become until he was greeted by his best friend Sophie, who was still her bright and energetic self. He knew that he was in trouble; just the thought of trying to match her enthusiasm made him feel completely exhausted. Sampson gathered his last bits of energy and tried his best to be his usual self, but already he could sense her disappointment. This was unbearable for him, and by now Sampson's anger toward himself was intensifying.

In fact, the rest of the day's events turned out to be a downward spiral that would end in the deepest and darkest depression that Sampson had ever experienced. When the school day finally came to a close, he knew that he would have to face Sophie; his stomach tightened. In a semi-conscious blur, he made his way to a bench outside of the school and then collapsed into a pile of tears. He felt like he was a complete failure, and that there was something terribly wrong with him. Sampson continued his descent into unprecedented depths of depression. The moment he thought that he would hit the bottom, a hand touched him lightly on the shoulder. A soft voice came cutting through his illusion and asked, "What's wrong Sampson?"

When Sampson looked up to see Sophie's caring face, his heart melted. Fighting his own embarrassment, he told Sophie how he had woken up that morning feeling horribly, and how the rest of the day just kept getting worse and worse. The deep concern on Sophie's face moved quickly to a lighthearted smile, and then she said, "It's okay Sampson...you're just tired, that's all, just tired." Sophie was now sort of laughing in a way that allowed Sampson to laugh too, and for a moment the weight of the world lifted off of his shoulders. He wasn't a terrible person after all. He just needed to catch up on his rest. He thanked Sophie and said, "I guess it's early to bed this week until I catch up, huh?" Sophie just nodded, and with a cheerful little smile said, "Good night, Sampson."

That night Sampson went to bed right after he completed his studies. He fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, but soon the memory of Sophie's disappointment began to haunt his dreams until his rest became uneasy. A moment later Sampson woke up, and in a slight stupor he picked up the phone and called Sophie. After apologizing in a sleepy little voice, he could sense that Sophie was smiling over the phone. "Sampson... go back to bed. Everything will be just fine." And so he did, and everything was.

Nathaniel Fegan is the founder of Effortless Body And Mind: a simple, low-impact, and non-religious path toward self-mastery and enlightenment. For more about Nathaniel and Effortless Body And Mind, visit http://asknathaniel.blogspot.com

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