Counting Goats

My thanks to Addison and Olivia who this week were here for the count!

     Whoever came up with the notion that counting sheep could cure insomnia was obviously not a shepherd.  I can think of no more wake-inducing exercise than counting and recounting your flock as we do on a nightly basis around here...(and several times throughout the day). Let the count be off by one and you'll be doing anything BUT sleeping... I can't imagine falling asleep without a final count of the babies before hitting the hay...Come to think of it, (and I had not put this together before now, but) I AM sleeping better these days.
     For starters, the new evening ritual removes things like mindless television from the mix. As if that's not a good thing, there's nothing like a last breath of fresh air to help clear your lungs and mind. On top of this, there's a touch of exercise involved just suiting up and walking to the barn with dogs dodging and wanting to play...That's got to be good for you, right?
    So we've got nature...We've got movement...We've got minimal electronics, save for the phone I keep with me at all times both for emergencies, but more so to capture that last cute something that someone's bound to do before I retire. I can count on it. (I'm not sure where that Verizon cloud is, but mine is full of goat pictures floating somewhere in space. Heaven help the alien who stumbles upon THAT little greeting card from earth!)
     The best part is, we've got adorable..in spades. We've got cute coming out our ears, so much so that many times I wind up back in the house only to find I've lost two hours to nothing but hugging, holding, singing to and laughing at my adorable kids in their element.
     As if all this weren't bonus enough, for once I can honestly say I like math, for adding the sum of my goats last thing each night allows me to ratchet down both left and right hemispheres of my brain simultaneously, which beatsTylenol PM or Sleepy Time tea any day.
     Yes, I can recommend it highly. Want a decent night's sleep? All you need is a flashlight, a romper, a little time and a bunch of baby goats and furry, white dogs to hug.
     Hardest part is remembering how many goats we have on any given day, but this too, we have now resolved. (It's called a white board. Why we didn't think of this sooner, I'll never know.)