Running on Empty
Jackson Browne, Forrest Gump, Meditation, and Me
Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels I don't know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels Look around for the friends that I used to turn to to pull me through Looking into their eyes, I see them running too Running on (running on empty) Running on (running blind) Running on (running into the sun) But I'm running behind - Jackson Browne I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now. - Forrest Gump
Getting a good night’s sleep is important. So important. One of the most important things. Maybe THE most important thing.
We all know that.
It’s hard to function when you don’t sleep well. Lack of sleep impacts mood, diet, memory, focus, exercise, health, patience, and more.
We all know that.
I’ve had a few nights lately where I did. not. sleep. at. all. Not even Just a Blink. Tossed and turned all night. Thought and worried about every possible thing under the sun, above the earth, in the water, and more.
The weird looking rash on my second toe. The new prescription being denied by insurance. The need to finish our taxes. The threat of a flat tire from the glass bottles I dropped in the driveway. The strange noise coming from the washing machine. The package that Walmart claims was delivered to our front porch, but the photo taken for proof is. not. of. our. porch. The busy week of appointments ahead: haircuts, eye doctor, cardiologist, and two physical therapies. The pressing desire to make time for writing about my husband’s stroke and brain surgery, my fibromyalgia diagnosis, the Covid pandemic, my parents’ life stories, and more.
I’m well aware of all the things one is supposed to do to ensure a good night’s sleep. This isn’t my first rodeo. Still, knowledge of, planning for, and execution of all those things doesn’t. guarantee. anything!
We all know that.
One of my go-to methods when I’m struggling to fall asleep is to listen to one of the sleep meditations from the “Ten Percent Happier” app. One of my favorites is Oren Jay Sofer’s meditation called, “Putting the Day to Rest.” In a soothing voice, Oren shares comforting nuggets like, “When your mind is at rest, it’s easier for your body to rest,” and, “Right now, there’s nothing you need to do, nothing that worrying or thinking can help.” He also says, “thinking takes energy, energy that can get in the way of letting go, settling back, and falling asleep,” although that golden nugget is almost halfway through the thirty minute meditation. I’m rarely still awake to hear it.
Unfortunately, even Oren hasn’t been able to stop my mind from running Olympic sprints marathons lately.
My worries haven’t been more serious than usual. Nothing life threatening. Nothing we haven’t dealt with before, as my husband always points out. Nothing I’ll likely even remember tossing and turning about a few weeks down the road.
So why has my mind has been running and running without stopping lately, faster and further than Forrest Gump’s legs in the famous movie scene?
Maybe it’s as simple as what Oren talks about in another of his wise nuggets. He says, “It’s common for there to be particular things our minds get stuck on, that linger, that can be harder to put to rest.”
Or maybe it’s more complicated than that. Maybe it has to do with, like Jackson Browne says, “how crazy this life feels,” and the ever-present feeling that, “I’m running behind.”
Either way, I sure hope my mind stops running in less than than three years, two months, fourteen days, and sixteen hours. I’m pretty tired.
If you haven’t figured out all the connections between the the title, the quotes I began with, the two photos, and “Jackson Browne, Forrest Gump, Meditation, and Me,” (or even if you have figured it out!), watch this entire video. Pay particular attention beginning at the 3:22 mark, and be looking towards the center left above the cars at the 3:30 mark (it’s a little dark).
Be sure to watch all the way to the end!
And if you’ve never seen the whole “Forrest Gump” movie (or even if you have), make time to watch it, even if you loose Just a Blink of sleep to do it!
Spoiler alert: Here’s a short video (dated 2014) with fun details, but watch the other video first!
I’d love to hear your thoughts! Did you make the connections before you watched the video, or after? Or are you still a little lost? Did my sleep-deprived brain make any sense at all?
Is it a coincidence that today is World Sleep Day?! I could relate to this. My brain is super active in the night sometimes and it’s quite frustrating.
I loved this! And I know the feeling so well! I have a weird trick for when nothing helps, I imagine a big cake on a table outside, and a spoon in my hand. Then l concentrate really hard eating it piece by piece😄🍰