Beauty Sleeping

Last night I did a "retuck." (It's what us parents do 2-3 hours after we've tucked the kids into bed the first time. Now that we're on our way to our own beds, we check everyone to make sure all toes are in, all noses out.)

I've noticed how each of us in this family adopt our own style and position when we snooze. Here's how it went last night:

Anna looked like one of those Thai dancers making the lotus flower with her fingers while she gracefully held herself in a beautiful but rigorous stance. (I've heard they train for this from childhood.) The thumb she'd been sucking rested limply by her lips, ready to rise into action should her crib get bumped or a door squeak.

Ellie sprawled in her usual fashion, on her belly, hair flailing around her head. Her rag doll was pinned under one shoulder, gasping for breath. Blanket and sheets twisted around her middle, all four limbs were pointing to the far corners of the earth. She does this "move" in the waking hours and has patented it, "The Starfish."

Bean was tucked in a dainty S-curve with her hands folded under one cheek. Neat, simple, clean lines. Her covers were mere millimeters from where they'd begun the evening. Beauty and clarity.

Steve was straight as a board. Every limb parallel with his trunk. No nonsense. Orderly. Let's get on with the job of sleeping. He was on his back with his pillow over his face like the dot over an "i." He sleeps that way every night. (Honestly, I don't know how he can breathe with a pillow over his face.) Just like an engineer.

When I woke up this morning I made a mental note of the position I was in. (Isn't that observant of me?) It was the running position. Slightly twisted torso, one knee bent up, one leg stretched straight behind me. This has more to do with attempting to relieve my back pain than it does my future as a runner, but I looked sorta like an Olympic sprinter. With boxes of doughnuts strapped to my hips and belly.

In our unconcious states, each of us are expressing something of our personality. And if you know any of us personally, you're probably nodding your head and laughing, "She would sleep that way, wouldn't she?"

Isn't it amazing that the Creator's personal touch finds an outlet even when his artwork slumbers?


P.S. If you want to read more about those determined Thai dancers, go here:
Christian Dance Fellowship of Malaysia
Thailand.com (where I found the pic)
Anna, baby of the iron will, could very well become one of these dancers someday, by sheer grit.