Beauty Sleep For The Soul

Beauty Sleep for the Soul

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Psalm 91:1

It’s 7:30 a.m. when a knock on the door rousts Miss Universe from a deep slumber. The twenty-year-old native of Botswana groggily rises, looking more like Miss Bad Hair. “Phone for you,” says the manager of the apartment, apologetically. At 7:45 in the next bedroom, the alarm buzzes—the cue for twenty-two-year-old Miss USA to shuffle down the hall and plug in her curlers before flopping back into bed.

It could be reveille in any college dorm—except these roommates really do need their beauty sleep.^a And truth is, we all do. It’s tough to look good without that regulation eight hours. A decent night’s sleep is important because while you’re sleeping your cells’ renewal process is working at its hardest. Nighttime is when damaged skin cells repair themselves and recoup their energy to protect the skin again the following day. That’s why many women apply night creams jam-packed with goodies for optimum nourishment of the nocturnal skin. To get the maximum benefit from those hardworking cells, and look your best, you have to first be assured of a good night’s sleep.

Tonight, however, we want you both to consider a different kind of “beauty sleep.” This kind requires no expensive creams or lotions. We’re talking about beauty sleep that focuses on your character—how beautiful you are on the inside.

Here’s your assignment. Focus your pillow talk tonight on what kind of magical “cream” you’d like to apply to your character if you could. After a night’s sleep, maybe this lotion would help you become more patient with others, for example. Or maybe the beauty cream you would apply would make you more disciplined or goal oriented. Perhaps it would help you delay your gratification or increase your level of kindness or generosity. Maybe your magical cream would give you more empathy and understanding to soothe conflicts.

As you are turning in tonight, be sure to get your beauty sleep—for your face, sure—but for your soul as well.

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: Its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness; but still will keep a bower quiet for us, and a sleep full of sweet dreams and health.

—John Keats

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