Sleepless on a Saturday

Sleepless morning and the cats are looking at me peculiarly; wondering why it is we are up at all before 6 a.m. on a Saturday—and I, too, have to wonder slightly. Bowie seems especially worried since the last time I was up early on Saturday, I left for the weekend. Apparently, his strategy is to hold me down to the chair by lying on me. The others are lying about, probably thinking they should be outside, though Calvin looks put out at sharing the cat condo bed and Jake is annoyingly reminding me of his love for perching on home electronics.

I woke up thinking about a book I have, which I had lent out and recently got back. I’ve re-read over half of it and it was truly beginning to upset me. I’m a different person than I was when I bought it and normally, for the sake of some good information, I can look past the garbage. I bought 24 Hour Turnaround two years ago when it was suggested to me as a nice way to remind myself of my goals and ways to achieve them. Admittedly, I skimmed it a few times and liked some of the info, but I haven’t really delved much into it since… but felt the need for positive motivation. Instead, I couldn’t look past the garbage. I understand what Jay Williams is trying to do for her readers in this book, but I guess I’m not the demographic she had in mind.

**I know spirituality is important; I don’t want and don’t need someone to tell me that my spirituality is linked to my health. There are several reasons for this, but mostly because not being Christian in a predominantly Christian country, there are days I feel like I’m having a bible shoved down my throat and though the intent of Ms. Williams is good, it is overkill for someone like me.

**If you are writing a book that is going to suggest to me that I need to make changes to my life and are going to use science as your foundation for my making these changes, do not just say: studies have shown…. More and more researchers are discovering…. Or anything along those lines without backing it up somewhere. I want to know who did the studies, what the controls were, what the sample size was, when it was done, has it been repeated? Otherwise, I will be and am completely skeptical.

**Do not rely on scare tactics to get people on your bandwagon. It’s the most common sales tactic and I’m sick of it.

Now, it isn’t to say that there isn’t good information in Williams’ book. There is; if you decide to check it out, determine for yourself what is valuable and relevant. If you are on board with her 100 percent… more power to you. She looks fabulous and while not everyone who follows the program will look like she did at 50… you will certainly be in better health. But just remember, no matter what you read, better health doesn’t come from a book or a website, it comes from your desire for it and willingness to work at it every day. I don’t have a study to back that, either, by the way… but I do have experience.

Other thoughts on this fine Saturday morning when I should be in bed… yesterday’s last post. Breathlessness. I haven’t written actual poetry in a very long time. And it didn’t start out that way; I did not sit down Thursday night (when this began) and say…. Hmmm, I feel like shit, I should write a poem. Instead, I sat down and started writing all the things that had been on my mind. After reading it and re-reading it, I saw it take form. I amazed me, slightly, that I had forgotten how challenging it is to write verse. I use the same principles in poetry as I do in fiction (and even non-fiction) only a little more stringently. I once had an instructor who felt that poetry was something meant to be spoken…we all have opinions on that, but her philosophy helped me to hear the language and feel the musical quality words have. They are like a musicians notes and you can be traditional or you can step outside convention—either way it is pretty amazing; and just a moment I was having this morning.

Mahalo.