Why Some Albums Take Time to Open Up | Vinyl Listening, Patience, and Music Memory
A live Traffic album almost lost me in the first twenty minutes. By side three, it had transported me to a Saturday night in 1972—from my basement in 2026.
Sleep Is Still the Medicine
When I was a kid, sleep was the medicine.
Somewhere along the way, I started packing a medicine cabinet for sleep.
A daily Alka-Seltzer so I don't wake up with acid reflux. Maybe a Tylenol because I got a little aggressive with the floss tonight.
Meanwhile, 12-year-old me would have eaten a bowl of cereal, fallen asleep on a couch cushion, and woken up ready to ride a bike for six hours.
Back then, sleep was the medicine.
Now sleep has a supporting cast.
Why Sleep Gets Harder as You Get Older
One of my favorite things about being a parent is checking on my kids before I go to bed.
They look like angels.
Completely at peace.
Give my son the opportunity and he'll sleep twelve hours without breaking a sweat. A few weekends ago, my daughter slept sixteen. Nothing was wrong with her. She was just tired.
I love how easily they fall asleep.
Looking at them, I sometimes think their lives must feel pretty peaceful on the inside.
As adults, we spend most of our days paying attention.
The business.
The bills.
The kids.
The calendar.
The thousand little things that need doing.
Somewhere along the way, we learn vigilance.
And once you learn it, it can be hard to turn off.
My Adult Sleep Routine: Creating Peace Before Bed
Maybe that's why I've grown to appreciate a nighttime routine.
Over the last year, I've become more intentional about creating an environment that helps me slow down.
Dim lights.
A record spinning.
A little incense.
A low-dose THC beverage.
Nothing elaborate.
The music isn't really the point.
The point is that it signals the day is over.
The problems in the business can wait until morning.
The emails can wait until morning.
Nothing else needs my attention right now.
For a little while, I can let my guard down.
In many ways, it's part of a larger effort to create a sanctuary at home—a place where I can recharge before tomorrow arrives.
Years ago, I wrote about a different sleep ritual involving warm milk, cinnamon, maple syrup, and saffron. I still love that routine.
But I've learned that quality sleep often starts long before your head hits the pillow.
A Simple Sleep Reset After a Bad Night
Of course, no adult sleep routine works perfectly.
Sometimes you simply don't sleep well.
One thing I've learned is that a bad night doesn't have to ruin an entire day.
A short midday reset can be surprisingly restorative.
Not a three-hour nap.
Just enough time to slow down, regroup, and recharge.
Recovering from poor sleep is a skill worth practicing too.
Watching My Kids Sleep Reminds Me What Rest Looks Like
Watching my kids sleep reminds me that peace is still possible.
They haven't spent decades carrying responsibilities and unfinished tasks around in their heads.
They simply trust that tomorrow will take care of itself.
That's probably why they can sleep for twelve or sixteen hours when their body asks for it.
Maybe that's what all of our bedtime rituals are trying to recreate.
Not childhood.
Just a little peace.
I may never again sleep sixteen hours like my daughter did a few weekends ago.
But maybe that's not the goal.
The goal is to create enough space at the end of the day for sleep to do what it has always done.
Because sleep is still the medicine.
The supporting cast simply helps us remember it's time to take it.
“Know what’s enough. Build what matters.”
Related Posts
The Unexpected Joy of Playing Music With Your Kids
A loud Toto song, a cajon, a wooden bongo, and one completely unplanned kitchen jam with my daughter that turned into a parenting moment I won’t forget.
Life Feels Better with Music On
A quiet afternoon, a favorite song, and a few old photos reminded me how much better life feels with music playing in the background.
Made with Bullet