I empathize with anyone who has difficulty sleeping. When I was a young man, I had some long sleepless nights of my own. Since then, I have been, able to better understand how difficult it is to go on without rest and sleep. It took me a while, but I did discover the cause of my sleepless nights.

We should never give up hope. Peace in the present, as well as in the future, should help us have many nights of good sleep. We should believe in ourselves, because we are the chief com¬manders of our own sleep. It is impossible for us to find anyone other than ourselves who can hold our hand daily and take charge of our lives. We must decide what it is we need to accomplish each day before we step down from our bed, and not allow temptation to persuade us to do other things. It is important that we hold on to our own steering wheel with both hands and make positive decisions that will enrich our future days and not haunt our sleepless nights.

Someone might say, “It’s easy for you to say.” Actually, I think it is rather difficult.Think how tough it is when someone is trying to take his first bite of a big hard apple. The second bite conies much easier and then the person is able to start tasting the juice. During our waking hours, our hands should always be on the steering wheel. We should take them off only when we go to bed at night. Positive thinking and hard work lead to accomplishments that fulfill us. In the end, we feel content, and the fatigue brought on by hard work can only enhance our sleep. We must leave our bad, troubled roots behind and strive to do better for ourselves and our loved ones. We must move on and try not to repeat that same history. It is at this point that the healing process of our genes will begin.

Sleep is a real fact, but just like anything else in life, it must come from somewhere. If we fear our problems and allow ourselves to think about them, we will have difficulty sleeping. If, on the other hand, we have positive, pleasant thoughts, we will heal and help ourselves to sleep well.

Life is a battle between the real life and the short periods of enjoyment we are constantly searching for, which could be sweet tasting but destructive to our lives. This is partially the reason that makes us lose a good night’s sleep.
In life, it is very important to have a good, honest friend. That friend can contribute to our good health and a good night’s sleep. Most of us interact with others twenty-four hours a day. It is beneficial to our health to take a break and be apart from one another for at least a few hours of each day. We have a need for tranquility and a necessity to hear the honest, silent voice of a quiet friend.

During my early years, I was fortunate to discover some special friends whom I cherish to this very day. I visit them on

a daily basis. The friends I am speaking of are my friends in nature. Nature keeps building my hope, it helps to heal my wounds and it helps me to have a good night’s sleep.

I find it very comforting to take a walk through the park. I enjoy looking at the green grass and the beauty of the trees.The chirping of the birds and the scents of various flowers make my day much more beautiful and satisfying. Nature has given me, and every one of us, this offering to enjoy and, unlike anything else in life, it is free.

I find gardening and planting vegetables, fruit trees and var¬ious flower-producing plants not only necessary, but essential and stimulating. After I have had a hard day of work, I find myself working in my garden. The amazing discovery I have made is that although I am filled with fatigue, once 1 step foot in my garden, exhaustion and anxiety disappear and I am filled with calmness and happiness. I feel ready to do a day’s work. The more plants 1 have, the happier I feel, because I know they are all my honest friends and at the end of the day, they will help me to close my eyes peacefully so that I can fall asleep.
Hard work and keeping myself occupied has always been, my goal and my pride. Not only have I accomplished most of what I set out to do, but I also never had any sleepless nights. What I did have, and still have till this day, is pleasure, satisfac¬tion and beauty surrounding me, thanks to nature.

Nature is a beauty within that we must seek, love and respect. We could get love and respect from our family and friends, but we can also get a great deal of it from domesticat¬ed animals such as dogs, cats, birds or any other pets. These faithful friends can bring us endless hours of pleasure and they will never forget or ignore us. These pets are our friends. They solely depend on us for their existence. Our minds will be stimulated on a daily basis, our hearts will be fulfilled and our thoughts will be calm. We will, once again, have a good night’s sleep.

To me, nature is a trustworthy friend. Nature has never cheated me and it has been my best friend since the day I was born. I often say, “For less you can get more.” However, for more you can also get less. When this happens, you may very well experience sleepless nights.

I believe man has been blessed by nature and its four sea¬sons. Each season contributes to our lives and their tranquility. When we make a decision to plant dry seeds, we enable a new young plant to be born. The seeds, before they were planted, were dormant. Planting gives them an opportunity to have life, to breathe and to grow.

Deep, dark nights can certainly be a time of desperation and loss of hope. Remember, the seeds would also have lost their hope without someone’s help, someone like you or me. I am certain there isn’t anyone who has yet been born who can say, “Seeds which were planted “will not pay you back.”

At one time or another, we have all taken nature for granted. However, it is my belief that nature “will not continue forgiving us. Its power and its life-giving seeds can sustain us and heal us much more than we can ever imagine. We should cherish, love and respect nature. Nature has been and still is the best mother we have ever had.