Time away is like a deep sleep.

 It takes you time to settle; some initial tossing and turning is almost mandatory.

But, slowly, your breathing slows. Your mind quietens. You start to drift.

The things that crowded your head on the incoming flight, the stresses that tripped up your transfer start to fade.

You’re entering the first dream.

As the time meanders languidly forward, Larkin on the beach and palms raised in a sun salutation, you sink gratefully into the womb of slumber.

The dreams are freewheeling now, gentle and replenishing, rather than frantic and frightening.

By the time you stir, the sunlight beckoning group the white-net curtains, something has changed: your perspective has altered.

It had been 18 months for me since I’d slept like this and I had carried every day with me like a dead weight. 

But no more. We all need a deep sleep sometimes.

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