tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7260969528787608869.post2909896621244084582..comments2024-03-29T00:00:54.979-05:00Comments on Horizon 51: Tuesday Slice: Hibernation isn't just for dormiceChris Margocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261261993571716230noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7260969528787608869.post-57328978832589541602020-12-23T07:52:33.064-06:002020-12-23T07:52:33.064-06:00Light is one of my favorite themes, Chris - but ho...Light is one of my favorite themes, Chris - but how important is the balance with dark for the sake of sleep, as you illustrate so beautifully. I've read about that ancient tendency to wake in the couple of hours after midnight, and I am enjoying this connection to dormice which re-evaluate and repair before resuming sleep. Just yesterday I heard about a spike in cortisol - related to female hormones as we grow older - that causes us to wake between 2:00-3:00 a.m. and does not allow for returning to that vitally-needed sleep. Not healthy...Like you, I find myself talking less these days. I wasn't really aware of it. My husband mentioned it. I know it's because of that same constant stream-of-consciousness you mention; I am almost semi-meditating all the time, needing to extract a deeper sense of things. There's also a sense of conservation in it. A normally calm person, I recognize that this long, long year, with its myriad stress-inducing strangenesses, coincides with my own transitional stage of life. I emphasize long because it is eroding a usually reliable resiliency. We are an exhausted people, needing rest more than ever, when it seems to be most elusive. Your last lines about a restful retreat are so lovely - "dream by candlelight in waning winter light" - perfect. Yes, please! And this does it - I must order this book! A merry, restful, peaceful Christmas to you and all yours.Fran Haleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05295033583781089018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7260969528787608869.post-50538337040925904232020-12-22T13:52:12.042-06:002020-12-22T13:52:12.042-06:00So good - I will have to look for that book. I am ...So good - I will have to look for that book. I am fascinated by the detail about "the watch." I've seen this in other places, too, and lately as I get older, I find that I do this. I will often wake up two hours or more after I go to sleep, and I read on my Kindle so I don't have to turn on lights and wake my husband. Then eventually I fall back to sleep. I like knowing that this waking is normal. Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12463332371535167975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7260969528787608869.post-26169187733424168692020-12-22T10:19:57.811-06:002020-12-22T10:19:57.811-06:00This is really interesting about hibernation! This...This is really interesting about hibernation! This line - "This time was known as "the watch", and documents from pre-electric times describe these hours as contemplative, dreamy, a time to connect with a lover or family members." - I wonder if I can learn to appreciate those middle of the night wakeups if I think of these as "the watch"? Thank you for this!Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08404917167112072640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7260969528787608869.post-64704557268102054182020-12-22T09:45:48.818-06:002020-12-22T09:45:48.818-06:00You mentioned so many intriguing points in this sl...You mentioned so many intriguing points in this slice. I must learn more about this book too! Thank you for sharing.Chris & Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16173047174172677927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7260969528787608869.post-80912357802565069852020-12-22T08:48:15.994-06:002020-12-22T08:48:15.994-06:00I have long said that the world would be a better ...I have long said that the world would be a better place if people took more naps. I had not heard of this book, but just place a hold on it at my library. Thanks for writing about it today!Adrienne G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02632115230775039900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7260969528787608869.post-40839168414985856062020-12-22T08:44:59.773-06:002020-12-22T08:44:59.773-06:00Ooh, I wanted to read Wintering but my favourite i...Ooh, I wanted to read Wintering but my favourite independent bookstore had sold it out. They will get new copies in two weeks. After reading your slice I am even more determined to get it. I am all for hibernation. Terjehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15343845162490388219noreply@blogger.com