Sleep Is Optional, Writing Is Not

Last night, while I was watching a movie with my husband, an ad popped up for “special gummies” that promise perfect, peaceful sleep. Just take one, and all your problems vanish.

As a chronic insomniac, I could not help laughing. If only it were that simple! Honestly, life would feel infinitely easier if humans did not need sleep at all. It feels like such a waste of time. If I could be a vampire, minus the whole craving blood situation, I would absolutely sign up. Especially if I sparkled in the sun.

Insomnia, like many conditions that cannot be neatly measured or solved, rarely has quick fixes. Modern medicine has made remarkable strides, but there are still things a gummy cannot remedy. Health concerns, stress, emotional strain, and physical hardship all take a toll. They wear us down, make it harder to focus on the good, and tempt us to compare our struggles to people who seem to have it easier.

We all need something that pulls us out of the darkness.

For me, that something is writing. Creating a world from my imagination and putting it on the page with the hope that it might one day bring someone joy or comfort helps on the days when my head feels like it might burst from migraines, when I have slept three hours in three days, when exhaustion makes everything feel heavier. Writing gives me a spark of joy, and that spark helps me be a better wife and mother.

Romance novels may not cure insomnia or migraines, but they help me navigate the mortal trials of life. Each of us needs our own version of that lifeline. Maybe it is nature, gardening, art, music, cooking, service, family, friends, faith, or a shifting combination depending on the season of life.

Personally, I am still waiting for that Beverly Crusher medical wand from Star Trek. One wave of that thing and I would be cured of all ills.

Until then, writing will have to do.

And maybe I will try those miracle sleep gummies.