More from Arlene

Ask Arlene©

By Arlene Wright-Correll

This week’s email question asks, “I have recently heard about something called Smart Pots, but cannot seem to find any around here.  Do you know anything about them?”

Yes, this new approach to container gardening is a soft-sided fabric aeration container that has the rigidity to hold its shape which provides aeration, enhancing root structure, resulting in a vigorous plant with more flowers and fruits and increased insect and disease resistance and it also allows excess heat to escape.  Originally developed for, and used by commercial tree growers many gardeners are now discovering their great use and benefits of which one is just about eliminating weeding.  They come in various sizes from 1 gallon to 1000 Gallon capacity and they even come in hanging sizes that look like a shoe rack.  Apparently they are frost resistant to breakage and have other fine features. One can find them on the internet in such places as Amazon.com and Smartpots.com.

Another question asks, “Do you know anything about insomnia?”

Yes, mostly that I suffer from it and there is a great article I recently read in a FineArts Blog about Artists and Insomnia and here is a quote from it that might help you to understand it.  “According to a Princeton National Health and Wellness Survey, thirty-seven percent of U.S. adults reported insomnia or sleep difficulties during a recent twelve-month period. Between 40% and 60% of people over the age of 60 suffer from insomnia. Two million children suffer from sleep disorders. More than ten million people in America use sleep aid medication to deal with their insomnia. 55% of all adults report having problems with insomnia in their lifetime. More than 70 million Americans suffer from various sleeping disorders and 60% of those 70 million report severe sleeping disorders.

What’s going on here? It turns out that this experimental brain of ours, because it doesn’t come with an off switch, continues to race on even when we don’t want it to—often at the cost of a good night’s sleep. It broods about what went on today and worries about what’s coming tomorrow. Without that off switch, it can’t easily shut itself off; and one manifestation of that difficulty is insomnia. This is true for everyone; but it is especially true for artists who are likely to be obsessing about art ideas, career challenges, survival issues, and a whole host of other brain-engaged matters.

Our brain broods, problem-solves, calculates, obsesses, stews, creates and races in our service. It will do that day or night: it is indifferent to the fact that we might need our sleep. It is odd that we have failed to recognize the extent to which our need to rely on the workings of our brain in order to survive naturally produces conditions like insomnia. Insomnia may prove a terrible affliction but it is not strange. It is exactly the sort of condition that you’d expect to afflict a creature with a brain that races.

There are organic, biological, and medical reasons for some cases of insomnia. But before you seek medication it probably makes sense to wonder if perhaps you are having trouble sleeping because your brain is racing—maybe in the service of your art ideas, maybe in the service of your art career, or maybe because you are brooding, stewing and worrying. If this turns out to be the case for you, ask yourself the question, “What might help quiet my racing brain?” I’ll have some suggestions for you in another post. For now, just consider this natural connection: that the same mind that produces creative ideas may also have trouble getting quiet when sleep is wanted.”

I find it helps me to write down a list of all the things I need or want to do the next day before I retire.  I also find that when I lie there more than 5 or 10 minutes I simply just get up and do something which is easy for a retired person living alone, but may be hard for someone with family, job and whatever to take care of.  I just do not like taking sleep aids and I find these 2 sleeping aids help me greatly.

May the Creative Force be with you as you tread the earth lightly

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