Dreaming in nightmares

So, the title of this blog translates to I dream in French. Recently? Not so much. In fact, I'm not really dreaming at all. My sleep patterns have been extremely wacky lately. Most mornings I wake up feeling more tired than when I climbed into bed the night before, which is weird because I've always been a sleeper. It seems like every time I turn over I wake up now. What is with that? My parents used to joke that I could sleep through a freight train coming through the house (which never happened, by the way), but now even the sound of the thermostat clicking on is enough to wake me. People always mocked my ability to sleep "like a rock" and prophesied the days when I wouldn't be able to any more. I can't believe they cursed me like that! It seems like those days are upon me now, and I am so not liking it! AND instead of dreaming in French, I am having some seriously scary, bad-ass nightmares. Running so hard but not getting anywhere, my legs turn to jelly and I keep falling down, and then I fall over a cliff and my body jolts me awake! Seriously, if there are any dream interpreters out there, I would like to know what this means. It's frightening! I want my nice, comforting, Candy Land dreams back when I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to start my day :) Maybe if I keep thinking it...

Breaking the rules

Initially I know I said this blog would focus on all things French, but I'm going to break that rule and deviate a bit today. I haven't written in a while because, well, life has been a little crazy.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, as is obvious by all of the pink and red advertisements telling us to shower our sweeties with chocolate and undies and cards and flowers and God knows what else. Many guys cringe at the mere mention of Valentine's Day, probably because they feel they can't live up to the hype. And I agree that merchants and advertisers go overboard with Valentine's Day commercialism, but I think there's an underlying point here that many of us miss.

While businesses push Valentine's Day as a way to make more moolah, people are coerced into believing that the purchasing and gifting of material objects will win over a special person's heart. Ideally that sounds great, but I think that the arrival of Valentine's Day should really tell us that life is fast and uncertain and sometimes cruel, but having someone in your life with which to share the burdens and stress and laughs and tears and smiles can help us through. So for one day a year maybe we could all step back and think of the important people in our lives and take some time to show them how much they mean to us, whether it's with chocolate or dinner or jewelry or a phone call or a simple hug. People like to know they're thought of and appreciated. Is it really so difficult to let them know that, even if it is just once a year?