Hello Dick,
I am glad to know she is still alive so you still have hope.

I discovered the reason most of my dreams have disappeared as a friend told me this. I have been taking melatonin 10mg every night because I have not been able to sleep. Mind is too busy. So I stopped taking it and am now getting flashes of dreams but nothing to write down. Maybe one of these days I will be back posting more often.
Sandy$

On Saturday, July 9, 2022 at 8:28:05 AM UTC-5, sandy$ wrote:
> Hello Dick,
> I am glad to know she is still alive so you still have hope.
>
> I discovered the reason most of my dreams have disappeared as a friend told me this. I have been taking melatonin 10mg every night because I have not been able to sleep. Mind is too busy. So I stopped taking it and am now getting flashes of dreams but nothing to write down. Maybe one of these days I will be back posting more often.

Hmm... I've heard melatonin helps others to dream, but I suspect it may *certainly* be related to how it interacts with each individual being different.

I was having a period of being unable to sleep, which had been going on for some time, only I didn't ever think of it as a problem so much as a condition. And, sure enough, the mind was VERY busy. (Once, as a kid of around 5 or 6, I remember being unable to sleep, and my dad somehow asking me, "What's the problem?" and my reply, "I can't turn my mind off!"

And, while I really can't remember what he said in return, as if some general comforting words, I eventually got to sleep that night (obviously.)

So a few decades later, and I realize the same issue is occurring. What to do about it?

"Ah!" (or something like that)— "If I can't go to sleep, then I may as well put my mind toward doing something productive" (or useful, etc.)

That's when I began giving "meditation" a whirl: the idea is to focus on one word (or thought) for as long as possible. Naturally, the mind wants to run off and play, but when the individual notices the mind off-target, simply return to the mantra and keep going. Trust me, you WILL fall asleep!!

Meanwhile, I started to meditate upon some Biblical principles (Jesus, and His Words) and *WOW!* what a difference in course my life has taken!!

There were some interesting ideas regarding meditation, like that om-mani business regarding the flower of the Universe. And sure, there's some value to that, but the 3 words of Jesus (translated into English) in Matthew 5:44, "Love thine enemies," *IS* that flower! It's just amazing, but feel free to try it for yourself and see what works best for you.

But *caution!* The FIRST one I started on (back when I was 30) was "I love my father," because I felt the biggest problem in my life at that time was the undercurrent of hatred I had for him in those days. I picked "I love my father" because I wanted to see if meditation actually accomplished anything— Oh yeah!! Not only did I learn that I actually loved my father, but I *became* a father less than a year later, with a gal who'd had her tubes tied!! (And that's how Charles came into the world!)

So be careful, but "Love thine enemies" is a super-duper winner, in my book :-)
(It will also help you sleep, and a multi-B vitamin every other night will super-boost your dreams!)

On Monday, July 11, 2022 at 10:22:14 AM UTC-6, dick...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Saturday, July 9, 2022 at 8:28:05 AM UTC-5, sandy$ wrote:
> > Hello Dick,
> > I am glad to know she is still alive so you still have hope.
> >
> > I discovered the reason most of my dreams have disappeared as a friend told me this. I have been taking melatonin 10mg every night because I have not been able to sleep. Mind is too busy. So I stopped taking it and am now getting flashes of dreams but nothing to write down. Maybe one of these days I will be back posting more often.
> Hmm... I've heard melatonin helps others to dream, but I suspect it may *certainly* be related to how it interacts with each individual being different.
>
> I was having a period of being unable to sleep, which had been going on for some time, only I didn't ever think of it as a problem so much as a condition. And, sure enough, the mind was VERY busy. (Once, as a kid of around 5 or 6, I remember being unable to sleep, and my dad somehow asking me, "What's the problem?" and my reply, "I can't turn my mind off!"
>
> And, while I really can't remember what he said in return, as if some general comforting words, I eventually got to sleep that night (obviously.)
>
> So a few decades later, and I realize the same issue is occurring. What to do about it?
>
> "Ah!" (or something like that)— "If I can't go to sleep, then I may as well put my mind toward doing something productive" (or useful, etc.)
>
> That's when I began giving "meditation" a whirl: the idea is to focus on one word (or thought) for as long as possible. Naturally, the mind wants to run off and play, but when the individual notices the mind off-target, simply return to the mantra and keep going. Trust me, you WILL fall asleep!!
>
> Meanwhile, I started to meditate upon some Biblical principles (Jesus, and His Words) and *WOW!* what a difference in course my life has taken!!
>
> There were some interesting ideas regarding meditation, like that om-mani business regarding the flower of the Universe. And sure, there's some value to that, but the 3 words of Jesus (translated into English) in Matthew 5:44, "Love thine enemies," *IS* that flower! It's just amazing, but feel free to try it for yourself and see what works best for you.
>
> But *caution!* The FIRST one I started on (back when I was 30) was "I love my father," because I felt the biggest problem in my life at that time was the undercurrent of hatred I had for him in those days. I picked "I love my father" because I wanted to see if meditation actually accomplished anything— Oh yeah!! Not only did I learn that I actually loved my father, but I *became* a father less than a year later, with a gal who'd had her tubes tied!! (And that's how Charles came into the world!)
>
> So be careful, but "Love thine enemies" is a super-duper winner, in my book :-)
> (It will also help you sleep, and a multi-B vitamin every other night will super-boost your dreams!)
Hello Dick,
They say that our bodies produce melatonin too. I also meditate daily for years now. It is very relaxing.
Sandy$

On Tuesday, July 12, 2022 at 8:06:29 AM UTC-5, sandy$ wrote:

> They say that our bodies produce melatonin too. I also meditate daily for years now. It is very relaxing.

Yeah, my dad used to take it. Turns out he and I and Michael Jackson all had something in common (he and MJ are of course passed) being the lack of melatonin (possibly also "melanin") in the skin (removes the skin's ability to tan, thus appearing "white.")

It gives the person a slightly "freckled" appearance. The condition is called "Vitiligo" which sometimes gets written (incorrectly) as "villa lago" which is a house by a lake.

The point being, the next time you have trouble sleeping, try working on "Love thine enemies" or "Love thy neighbor as thyself" or "I love my father" (etc.) (Note: loving one's mother may result in unintended consequences, not necessarily intended / "good" ones, either. Moses shared the 5th Commandment as "HONOR" [thy parents] possibly avoiding conflicting ideation.)