365 Days (Part 2) | ✓

230. Energized

230. Energized: Write about how you feel when you're either at a high or low energy level for the day.

A poignant moment today...

My eyes are closing. It's a relief to close them: like sitting down after standing for a long period of time. There's almost a tangible sense of "letting go." I can feel the weariness like a load upon me, rocking through my bones steadily. In a moment my thoughts drift toward nonsense, as I see things from a world only reached through dreams.

No -- I snap my eyes open just as I'm falling into sleep. I've stopped rocking, and the dim room feels empty without the subtle noise of the chair. My niece is draped over me. Her legs hug my hips and her sweaty head is tucked into my neck. She is still, and perhaps asleep, but I begin to rock anyway. The exhaustion is a weight upon me I cannot lift, and I have to blink a few times and contort my face into unusual expressions to wave it away.

After a moment, I begin to sing. It's not the singing I would do when I karaoke with my friends, but it's almost a hum. It's a mumur, low and soft, and it's my most effective tool when I try to get kids to sleep. My voice cracks as I try to adjust it to one, monotonous tone, but she lays still.

"Oh, I've heard a thousand stories of what they think You are..." I sing softly.

I eventually hear her even breathing, and feel her hands relax and fall limply against my arms, which are wrapped around her. She is sleeping; there's something beautiful about that. Being lulled to sleep by someone is an act of trust. I tighten my hold on her and continue to rock.