My dad tucked me into bed every single night. Somehow, definitely with a bit of magic, he moved his hands like the birds in Sleeping Beauty as he pulled up my blankets and patted them down around my shoulders and chin.

Over the next forty-or-so years, stress, depression, anxiety and fear became my bedtime companions. Instead of having the birds lull me into a peaceful slumber, angst and worry kept me from real healing sleep.

WebMD explains that lack of sleep:

• causes accidents
• dumbs you down
• causes serious health problems including, but not limited to heart disease
• kills (that’s right “kills”) your sex drive
• causes depression
• ages your skin (that’s enough to cause depression right there)
• makes you forgetful
• increases your risk of death
• AND impairs your judgment, especially about sleep

Last night, after listening to The Ann Wilson Thing at the Eccles Center, feeling inspired by the joy in my town and learning that the giving goal was met, I went to sleep.

This morning, on the first day 0f 2016, I’m waking up refreshed, happy, content and ready to be me again.

I rarely make resolutions. Instead, I set intentions. This year, it is my intention to sleep like Sleeping Beauty every night. With my dad and my Dwight, along with all of my other angels and guides watching over me, sleep should come easily.