SLEEPLESS in MILFORD anything if we allowed our irrational fears to rule our actions. Fear about the future and the unknown is a tough taskmistress. I want you to know, we ALL spend much of our lives worrying about things that will never ever happen to us! Haal..... But as I told you, you can be > better prepared, and here's how! GET | ot's start with a simple List of Things To Dear Sleepless in Milford, Thank you for your recent letter telling me about these unusual dreams. You dreamt of things that are most unlikely to happen, and these caused your mind to go into overdrive. First of all, you need to know this is quite normal and is experienced by other people all over the world. With your journey to Boston coming up, or was it London, ...... or wherever it was you mentioned, you are obviously anx- ious. You told me you have, in your dreams, reluctantly gone through the scenarios of: Leaving late for the airport and missing the flight; Had a flat on the Schoharie Road at 5.00 a.m. Found yourself at the departure gate without your tickets or passport; Forgotten to put your shoes on; Joumeyed halfway to Pearson, and just as you were passing Bowmanville, realized that you had forgotten to place your suitcase in the car. Youhave.......co. Hey... It was a long list you sent to me, and you have not yet even stepped inside the aircraft ...... about which I recall you telling me you dreamt: Missed its last 10,000 km service; Was to be flown by a pilot who ate porridge for breakfast and is going to get sick; Was the wrong flight and you realized it seemed short when they welcomed you to Boston instead of London. 1 don't know about you Sleepless in Milford, but I'm exhausted thinking about all of this stuff that might happen to you if I don't step up to the plate, and help you handle your dream problems. Will you believe me oh 1 tell you there is noth- ing new under the sun. Fear that translates into dreams, has been going on since time immemorial. Even the Bible in Matthew and Luke's gospels speak of fear in these ways: "Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it?" "I tell you not to be worried about the food or drink you need to stay alive or about the clothes for your body." "Look how the wild flowers grow. They do not work or make clothes for themselves." People have been worrying about the 'stuff of life' since time began. The story line is the same; it's just the equipment or scenario that changes. We would never do Do, prepared days in advance, which will take care of the things vou can control. With regard to the other items: Some of them you will handle as a matter of course. The others? Well, I don't know how I can persuade you the aircraft has been serviced! (look for the service sticker on the door jamb as you enter, but don't slow down or you might be run over in the rush to board) I certainly don't know how you can ensure the pilot did not have porridge for breakfast, but it never made me sick, and I have been eating it, as well as haggis, for years. All I can assure you is that in your dream world, you will always come up with the most outrageous scenarios to keep your mind, the inner ego, as busy as possible. It will run riot if you let it, giving you sleep depravation as you try to answer its ever increasing demands on your sub-conscious, and your energy. Now comes the good news, because help is at hand for you and all dreamers, from the Farmer's Almanac, which comes up with this piece of sage advice: "People are a lot like tea bags; they don't know their own strength until they get into hot water." Fortunes have been made out of the kind of self- destruction you are experiencing. Books (most available from the Milford Library) with titles like: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind Heart of the Soul Grow Younger, Live Longer Restful Sleep, Time Shifting..... _-- and a gazillion more, seek to bring your inner ego under control and secure that elusive thing I call, 'peace of mind,' and a stress-free, rested body, just for you. And so, Sleepless in Milford, here is my good-sleep advice for you. Get yourself to the library and select one or two of these book titles (and there are lots of others avail- able) and do a bit of reading about your inner ego and relaxation. No food for three hours before sleep, unless otherwise directed by your Doc. No caffineated drinks after supper. No fast paced movies or creepy TV for an hour before sleep. Try to make the last half hour of your day a quiet and Continued on page 14