A Sleep Story for Coronavirus Insomnia

Yesterday, a friend asked me, “Could you write another sleep story? I have used your last one a lot.”

“I could use a new one. I’m struggling with my anxiety about the coronavirus,” she said, sighing.

So here it is. This time I am putting you right in the sequence of events.

The Sleep Story

Imagine that you are walking briskly through a city that you love, taking in the storefronts, walking through galleries and small parks, and enjoying waterfront views. As you begin to feel the strain in your legs from so much walking, you notice the air turning colder and the sky filling with dark clouds. You pull your scarf tighter around your neck and decide to return to your houseboat, a whimsical place that you rented for a weekend getaway. As you turn the corner toward the dock and the houseboat, big drops of cold rain fall. You rush to unlock the door in time to save yourself from getting drenched.

Inside, you feel the warmth hit you as you hang your cold, damp jacket on the hook to dry. You take off your shoes and put on warm thick socks. Raindrops patter softly on the roof. In the tiny kitchen, you turn on the stove to heat up the teapot for a cup of chamomile. Gazing out the windows, you watch the rain falling like pieces of grain pelleting the lake. Small waves rock the houseboat. A novel and magazines wait by an overstuffed chair in front of a picture window with a view of the tree-lined lake. In the distance, seagulls croon. You take your cup of…