A Sure Fire Sleep Aid

When my wife and are a bit restless at bedtime, because we’re wound up, tense or something like that, we like to play a cassette on our clock radio that almost always relaxes us to sleep. It’s called “Thunderstorm in the Wilderness”, a tape produced by Don Gibson. Side Two is what you want to listen to.

It begins quietly enough. A few rumbles of thunder roll off in the distance. Bullfrogs call from the marshlands. Some barred owls begin a chorus, their whoops resounding strongly. Then I feel like I’ve been whisked to a nearby lake as waves lap the shore. The wind whistles and moans. Rain showers rustle the lake waters. I feel uplifted into the heart of the storm. Thunderclaps rattle above the sound of the rain and the turbulent waves. It’s as if I’m part of the storm now, though I’m really huddled under my quilt and sheet. Then as the wind rises to the storm’s climax, I lose consciousness. The sound of the gale-tossed waters is the last thing I hear.

I’m not much for plugs. There is enough advertising and spam in cyberspace already. But for those interested, I see on the internet that Don Gibson’s “Thunderstorm in the Wilderness” is available to buy.