” Presume not that I am the thing I was; for God doth know, so shall the world perceive, That I have turn’d away my former self.” That’s from Shakespeare’s Henry IV part 2, and I got to thinking, it seems I turn away from myself when I’m asleep. You know what I mean, I’m still me, but I do things in my sleep that don’t conform to the laws of time and space, that I adhere to in my waking hours.
I dream and that in itself is a complex topic. And most of the time while sleeping, I remember nothing but know I did something other than snore.

I may babble on about something I know nothing about, of course, I do that awake as well. There are times I could get up and sleep while I’m walking. All amazing feats that I must take credit for, but have no idea why I have these experiences. I act, react, laugh, cry, fly, and almost die, without ever looking at a clock or realizing where I am. Sounds like another me, acting in another world of reality and calling it illusion.

So much is unknown about sleeping, but it does have a very important effect on my well-being. In fact, I think in some of the non-remembered moments my cells and molecules are working in the repair shop of life, restoring damaged tissues and organs that my waking state has injured.
If I look at myself as being conscious in the waking state, perhaps I should look at a different consciousness that is awake in the sleeping state, but does not conform to the restrictions of time, space and physical form. Perhaps the other me, so to speak, travels to places to visit people and times that I have known before or will know, and even accesses knowledge to assist me in my waking reality.

Maybe this is why we it enjoy it so much, well most of us, to some, it may be the door to hell, but once again, that is our own creation.
Extending my concept of who I am to include a consciousness that is not limited to the rules I live by when I’m not sleeping, does make perfect sense. Once I see myself completely, I can change how I look at everything. I’m not just experiencing a part of me, I am realizing that I am really more than meets the eye.

Hal Manogue is a poet and author of Short Sleeves A Book For Friends. Insightful thoughts for the 21st century. Hal’s 2006 collection and 2007 collection are available in bookstores and online. Visit Hal’s website: http://www.shortsleeves.net or blog: http://halmanogue.blogspot.com/ for more information about his work and life. Download a copy of the new E-Book,”Unite To Write” a collection of articles written by writers around the globe, that will inspire and fill you with useful information. It’s value is priceless. It’s Hal’s gift to you.