Thank you Stephanie for the idea of working through the alphabet of glimmers as a sleep aid. Just when I thought I couldn’t love your Substack more. B is for blessings. I caught an Uber home last night in the mostly usual silence. When we pulled up the driver said may God bless you. I had spent most of the day crying because of the terrible situation of parents whose children who attended childcare centres in Melbourne where a pedophile worked having to get their babies and toddlers tested for STIs. I felt immensely comforted in that small moment. I had been thinking during the day where is God in all this. And there he was. Driving an Uber.
Hi Wendy, what a wonderful glimmer just right there. God is an Uber driver! And ... the childcare story, just unthinkable what parents and children are enduring. Sending my best to you.
Thank you Stephanie, what a joy to read after a bleak wakeful night. I go to sleep instantly but often wake at 3 or 4 and (sensibly) doom scroll through my life for hours. I love the idea of alphabetical glimmers, much better than reverse counting from 27 repeatedly!
Oh I love your sleep ideas - and the glimmers are fabulous. I’m going to try it! My falling asleep routine is very medicine-nerd of me: I do a modified version of the “serial sevens”, part of the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), where we ask the patient to count backwards from 100 by sevens. For sleep, I count backwards from 1000, and I think the furthest I’ve made it is into the 700s. I’m trying my best to keep my phone out of my bedroom (at least on weekdays). Like everything else, my sleep has deteriorated with perimenopause. I thought my nighttime progesterone would help, but no. I might try melatonin, particularly as I prescribe it every day at work! Physician, heal thyself…
Hi Kate, thanks for your message... I hear melatonin is good ... funny you haven't tried it yourself! Let me know how you go with your own glimmers list!
Thank you Stephanie. I’m an older woman currently mourning the death of my friend and lover . Going through my personal glimmer alphabet didn’t put me to sleep but it gave me great hope when I’m feeling despair . For most letters of the alphabet I found many glimmers but I’ll just list a few . Apples pink ladies , airports , babies especially if I get to hold them , my brothers, children singing or singing with a choir , dancing with my circle dance class , daffodils, eating out with friends, family gatherings , grandchildren and gardens , hot pools especially in my home country NZ , Iranian cities Istafan and Yadz , my Japanese sister in law , kisses from people I love , Lavender especially English lavender , Macedonian dancing and music, note paper from Japan , opera especially La Wally , paintings by William Blake at the Tate Britain, quiet nights at home after hectic days , roses especially ones I’ve grown from cuttings ,
Snakes , sea , snorkelling , train journeys in NSW especially from Sydney to Newcastle, under water snorkelling… all the amazing things I get to see , violin sonatas , warm winter clothing , xylophone music played by my grandsons , young people who chat with me when I’m on the bus or train, Zorba the Greek .. either dancing or listening to this song.
oh Steph, I'm so so sorry to hear that you're going through this horrible time. Sending, fwiw, all my best wishes to you. And thank you for your gorgeous A-Z. I love it!!! so many things there I could put on mine... note paper from Japan, eating out with friends, opera (although I don't know much about La Wally), snorkelling, and ... Zorba the Greek! Wonderful!
Thank you Stephanie for the idea of working through the alphabet of glimmers as a sleep aid. Just when I thought I couldn’t love your Substack more. B is for blessings. I caught an Uber home last night in the mostly usual silence. When we pulled up the driver said may God bless you. I had spent most of the day crying because of the terrible situation of parents whose children who attended childcare centres in Melbourne where a pedophile worked having to get their babies and toddlers tested for STIs. I felt immensely comforted in that small moment. I had been thinking during the day where is God in all this. And there he was. Driving an Uber.
Hi Wendy, what a wonderful glimmer just right there. God is an Uber driver! And ... the childcare story, just unthinkable what parents and children are enduring. Sending my best to you.
Thank you Stephanie, what a joy to read after a bleak wakeful night. I go to sleep instantly but often wake at 3 or 4 and (sensibly) doom scroll through my life for hours. I love the idea of alphabetical glimmers, much better than reverse counting from 27 repeatedly!
Oh I love your sleep ideas - and the glimmers are fabulous. I’m going to try it! My falling asleep routine is very medicine-nerd of me: I do a modified version of the “serial sevens”, part of the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), where we ask the patient to count backwards from 100 by sevens. For sleep, I count backwards from 1000, and I think the furthest I’ve made it is into the 700s. I’m trying my best to keep my phone out of my bedroom (at least on weekdays). Like everything else, my sleep has deteriorated with perimenopause. I thought my nighttime progesterone would help, but no. I might try melatonin, particularly as I prescribe it every day at work! Physician, heal thyself…
Hi Kate, thanks for your message... I hear melatonin is good ... funny you haven't tried it yourself! Let me know how you go with your own glimmers list!
Thank you Stephanie. I’m an older woman currently mourning the death of my friend and lover . Going through my personal glimmer alphabet didn’t put me to sleep but it gave me great hope when I’m feeling despair . For most letters of the alphabet I found many glimmers but I’ll just list a few . Apples pink ladies , airports , babies especially if I get to hold them , my brothers, children singing or singing with a choir , dancing with my circle dance class , daffodils, eating out with friends, family gatherings , grandchildren and gardens , hot pools especially in my home country NZ , Iranian cities Istafan and Yadz , my Japanese sister in law , kisses from people I love , Lavender especially English lavender , Macedonian dancing and music, note paper from Japan , opera especially La Wally , paintings by William Blake at the Tate Britain, quiet nights at home after hectic days , roses especially ones I’ve grown from cuttings ,
Snakes , sea , snorkelling , train journeys in NSW especially from Sydney to Newcastle, under water snorkelling… all the amazing things I get to see , violin sonatas , warm winter clothing , xylophone music played by my grandsons , young people who chat with me when I’m on the bus or train, Zorba the Greek .. either dancing or listening to this song.
oh Steph, I'm so so sorry to hear that you're going through this horrible time. Sending, fwiw, all my best wishes to you. And thank you for your gorgeous A-Z. I love it!!! so many things there I could put on mine... note paper from Japan, eating out with friends, opera (although I don't know much about La Wally), snorkelling, and ... Zorba the Greek! Wonderful!
I loved doing the glimmers. I did them quickly with the first things that came into my head.
A is for architecture, old and new
B is for boys, when my three sons were small and tumbly and soft
C is for my youngest child and the kind and creative man he has become
D is for all the wonderful dads that I know who model thoughtful, kind, supportive and fun behaviours
E is for elephants that always fill me with wonder
F is for food which I adore in all forms, and faith
G is for gratitude which like glimmer, drives a fulfilling attitude to life
H is for holidays!
I is for ideas that I love to hear from others and spark thoughts of my own
J is for journeys, big and small that always teach me something and help me to grow
K is for kin and my wonderful extended multi generational family that mix and mingle and separate and swirl but always come back together
L is for listening to the endlessly fascinating stories people tell
M is for mothering and all of the strong, intelligent women I know who nurture those around them
N is for newness, either beginnings or refreshing of something old
O is for my middle son and the joy he brings, twingeing my heart each time
P is for people watching in cafes and beaches and park benches all over the world
Q is for Queensland, that big beautiful state where I was born and now visit on holidays
R is for reading which provides such fulfilment
S is for my eldest son and his brilliant mind and big heart
T is for travel, my favourite thing to plan, do and remember
U is for the universe and it’s mind blowing creation
V is for vino
W is for women and how fabulous it is to be one
X is for any sport that puts x before its name that I don’t want to do but can watch on telly
Y is for that yearning feeling for the next holiday, weekend or son to return
Z is for anyone with the kind of zeal that is driven by an industrious and ethical mind, such as writers, scientists, academics.
Wonderfully whimsical investigation into an alphabet of glimmers! Magic 🎩