WorkLife issues often follow us home at night. And as we all know, sometimes the stress accumulated throughout the day worms its way into the bedroom along with our beloved Blackberry. (I’ve taken to leaving it in my office at night in my elusive quest for worklife balance, but I do miss it).
In order to calm myself and let go of the day’s activities, I’ll engage in some deep breathing and a tune or two that will ease the monkeymind. I’ve found a new album entitled Night Wheel, that not only does the job well and warms my heart, but also brings me to a time – long, long ago.
I figured I’d share a little story to illustrate how much this album touched me. It brought back childhood memories that still linger of how nearly impossible it was for me to fall asleep at night. Laying my head on the pillow every night was the beginning of a long process for my parents and my sister, night after night, while growing up. I practically begged for sleep during my childhood. I prayed for it. After keeping everyone up for a while, my mom would eventually sing a particular lullaby over and over, softer and softer, till I drifted off.
Disrupted by thoughts of the boogeyman and in constant wonderment about the universe and my place in it – even as early as four years old (yes, I actually have memories of this) I was not one to take the road to dream time very easily. It’s no wonder I’ve such a passion for the elusive quest for worklife balance, and right livelihood or purposeful work. There was always a need for a deeper meaning in my mind for everything – including why my stuffed duck disappeared for a time (Apparently my mom was sewing the little guy up because the music box was tearing through, underneath the flap of his wing). To calm me at night, as mentioned, my mom would sing this tune into a whisper to get me to shut my eyes.
I had never heard the song elsewhere until I was gifted with Night Wheel produced by Michael Barry & Friends from Laughing Buddha Records. This album is a collection of international lullabies to benefit the children of Tibet. On it, I discovered the special song, a traditional German lullaby entitled, Schlafe Mein Prinzchen. It’s one of a dozen songs delicately produced almost as if not to wake a sleeping child, but rich enough to engage their hearts and minds.
Tunes hail from every corner of the globe, Ireland, South Africa, Cuba, Scotland, France, England, and America. The docile instrumental tones are heavenly and can lull even the most stubborn to lala land. Producer Michael Barry put a lot of thought into choosing his songs and the artists who perform them. You can gift either child or parent with this and it serves another purpose – 50% of the net proceeds are donated to the Tibet Aid Precious Seeds Fund, which benefits orphaned and impoverished Tibetan children.
In this era of sensory stimulation, I suspect even more children these days experience the same trials of heading to sleep at night that many of us did – back in the day. Although video games, i-phones, and the Internet are likely on par with the boogeyman as being the culprit.
So instead of opting for that last e-mail, late night TV or a quick video game with your child, download Night Wheel to begin dream time on a soft note. To get you started here’s a clip from that German tune that even in its simplicity, brought a tear to my eye.
