I am amazed anew at the difference a good night’s sleep can make.

Any faithful readers of this blog will know there’s been a definite ‘disturbance in the force’ for me almost all year. That disturbance has impacted my previously impeccable ability to get a good night’s sleep. The lack of sleep has severely limited my ability to deal well with the difficulties currently stirring in the world of Tamara.

Yesterday was a very bad day. What’s the name of that book? Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. (Oh yes, it’s also a new Disney movie starring Steve Carell.) Yep, that was my day – one of many this year – and with zero comedic value. I was in a very bad, very dark place.

Today I feel infinitely better even though nothing has changed.

The only difference between yesterday and today? A very good night of sleep.

I have always been a huge fan of sleep, never one to shirk my responsibility to get 8 hours or more as often as possible. And still I forgot how much of a difference it makes. I remembered this morning, though, because from the moment I woke up I felt almost like myself, much stronger, much better able to deal.

And it’s all thanks to my new best friend, that little, light blue, non habit-forming pill, Simply Sleep. I had taken them in Berlin but ran out. In the interim I tried a different sleep aid but it didn’t work, as I discovered at 3:00 a.m. the past few mornings.

So I made a little sojourn to the drugstore last night, picked up some more Simply Sleep and voila – a great night’s sleep again.

I’m not fooled – I know the issues haven’t gone away. But if I can get some sleep, I know I am fully capable of dealing with and working through each and every one of them.

Without sleep? Wow, it’s not pretty.

So here’s to Simply Sleep and another wonderful night of sleep!