Years ago, a wise one told me that one of the most important places in your house was the nightstand next to your bed. Sounded weird to me at the time, but made perfect sense later. Your nightstand is one of the last things you see when you go to bed, and one of the first things you see when you wake up because most people put their alarm clocks on the nightstand as knowing time is important to many.
But most importantly, most people don't just fall asleep or jump out of bed right away. There is some lingering time where you either watch some tv, read, write, just lay and think, or chat with your sweetie if you sleep with someone else. Wise one recommended that you put positive things on your nightstand so that your last thought of the day was a good one, and the first thing you see when you wake up is something positive.
That made a whole lot of sense to me, so here is my nightstand, and the things I typically have on it:
A stack of inspiring and uplifting books. I love the idea of smart, uplifting energy near my head. Usually, I just like to pick up a book and open to a random page and read. This is one way the universe talks to me because usually the thing I randomly open up to is something that always helps me on something I've been needing help with that day or moment.
- A picture of my triplet nieces with my mom. I love this particular picture because when the girls were that age, getting them to sit still and even crack a smile at the same time was like trying to win the lottery. They all seem to be "talking" to Lola as they call grandma, and I always wonder what they were thinking.
- Bottles of water. Before I go to bed and first thing when I wake up, I take at least 30 swallows of water. Hydrating with water the second I wake up has been one of the best habits I've developed over the years. It's one of my secrets to keeping me skin supple which is why I look younger than my age. Plus, all that water helps me go to the potty first thing. Nothing like starting the day with a good bowel movement...ok, I know TMI.
- Not in the picture, but I always have a sketchbook or a pad of scratch paper to jot down ideas which are mainly blog post ideas or business ideas. Sleep is one of the most productive times for me not only because I'm getting rest but because I dream all the time and get the most amazing creative ideas. I also dream in Technicolor, and can sometimes hear, smell, touch, and taste things yet still know I'm in a dream. It's rather cool and freaky at the same time. But, I've learned to have pen & paper right next to my head so I can immediately jot stuff down.
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What you don't see is an alarm clock or clock of any kind. Clocks on the nightstand actually make it harder for me to sleep because I end up just staring at the numbers which keeps me up. Another thing about me is that I have not worn a watch since sophomore year in college. I have never needed a watch because I either ask people, I can find a clock wherever I'm at, or I have my cell. Asking a cute boy for the time is a great conversation starter :)
