The legend of sleep!
I look at the mirror and see the dark circles in my eye and know that I need more sleep. Truth is my body is clamoring for sleep! There were times when I’d fall asleep while we were doing our family prayers and times when I’d get home from work and tell my mama that I’d just take some rest before eating or grooming and I’d end asleep in our couch. So much things to do yet I feel the need to sleep. I wonder why we had to sleep! Some people could sleep just 4 hours in a day, oh I wish I can but I can’t… not for prolonged period. I think I’d end up dead… hehehe
Anyway, I thought I’d write a legend I told my young nieces and nephews long time ago. I used to tell them a lot of made up stories and they too would share their own. Sometimes my brother would also butt in and share his own funny stories but his stories usually border on weird…Hehehe. Anyway, here’s my legend on sleep. I told my story in Tagalog but I tried to make an appropriate conversion in English. I don’t really know if there is really a legend on sleep so here goes my story…
A long time ago people did not sleep. The earth was divided into light and darkness but people went about with their business whether it was day time or night time. People did not like darkness so they made fires to see in the dark. Even at night time people were moving and talking that they never get to rest. Before long many were grouchy. They were tired and grouchy that sometimes they would quarrel with others.
One day a man was walking when he suddenly slipped on a banana peel and fell down hitting his head. His eyes closed and lost consciousness for a while and some thought him as dead so they laid him on a wooden platform. After some hours the man’s eyes opened and he stretched his body and gave a big yawn! The people were amazed! They asked him what happened. He said I “slipped” and fell… BUT now I feel good and so relaxed!!! I want to experience it again!
The other people also wanted to experience what he had!
So the people scattered banana peel on the ground. Then they stepped on them so they would slip and fall and get their rest. The practice became wide spread as people tell others "Come on let’s slip!"
Eventually all people were doing it but sometimes some hit their head and get some bumps and bruise and they complain. Sometimes they had to do it several times to get the right “slip”. Others also complain since there see many people lying on the ground at different times and there were also a lot of rotting banana peels!"
The elder gathered the people to talk of a better way!
A man came up and said “We fear darkness but when we slip and rest and our eyes are closed everything is in darkness!”
“Go ahead” the elder said.
“Why don’t we stop lighting fires and slip in darkness!” he added!
“But that will be the same thing! We will just not see other people lying in the ground!” The elder added.
Then a child shouted “We are not scared when we see nothing when our eyes our closed after we slip. So why can’t we just lie down and close our eyes at night time till we feel we had our rest!”
“Hmmm…. It might work!” the elder said.
So they decided not to light fires at night and found places where they could lie comfortably and tried not move and just remain there. When daytime came many people had their rest but some still haven’t. But they continued to do so until finally all get their resta dn established a rhythm!"
People were happier now and there were less fighting.
The elder called them again and said “I am happy that everyone gets their rest and are more productive and active and cheerful when day time comes. This is something very wonderful and I would like to honor it by calling it SLEEP! This is also to remind us how our deep rest came about from a SLIP”
“So let’s all say it! S L E E P --------!!!” and they said it long “S L E E P!!!”
So that’s how sleep came about! :)
PS. This is LOTS longer but in my original story in Tagalog, I referred to the sound when you hit a hard object “TLOG”, there could be other sounds but I used that since it is nearest to “TULOG” which is sleep in Tagalog. My story to my nieces and nephews was also more simple :)
Anyway, I thought I’d write a legend I told my young nieces and nephews long time ago. I used to tell them a lot of made up stories and they too would share their own. Sometimes my brother would also butt in and share his own funny stories but his stories usually border on weird…Hehehe. Anyway, here’s my legend on sleep. I told my story in Tagalog but I tried to make an appropriate conversion in English. I don’t really know if there is really a legend on sleep so here goes my story…
A long time ago people did not sleep. The earth was divided into light and darkness but people went about with their business whether it was day time or night time. People did not like darkness so they made fires to see in the dark. Even at night time people were moving and talking that they never get to rest. Before long many were grouchy. They were tired and grouchy that sometimes they would quarrel with others.
One day a man was walking when he suddenly slipped on a banana peel and fell down hitting his head. His eyes closed and lost consciousness for a while and some thought him as dead so they laid him on a wooden platform. After some hours the man’s eyes opened and he stretched his body and gave a big yawn! The people were amazed! They asked him what happened. He said I “slipped” and fell… BUT now I feel good and so relaxed!!! I want to experience it again!
The other people also wanted to experience what he had!
So the people scattered banana peel on the ground. Then they stepped on them so they would slip and fall and get their rest. The practice became wide spread as people tell others "Come on let’s slip!"
Eventually all people were doing it but sometimes some hit their head and get some bumps and bruise and they complain. Sometimes they had to do it several times to get the right “slip”. Others also complain since there see many people lying on the ground at different times and there were also a lot of rotting banana peels!"
The elder gathered the people to talk of a better way!
A man came up and said “We fear darkness but when we slip and rest and our eyes are closed everything is in darkness!”
“Go ahead” the elder said.
“Why don’t we stop lighting fires and slip in darkness!” he added!
“But that will be the same thing! We will just not see other people lying in the ground!” The elder added.
Then a child shouted “We are not scared when we see nothing when our eyes our closed after we slip. So why can’t we just lie down and close our eyes at night time till we feel we had our rest!”
“Hmmm…. It might work!” the elder said.
So they decided not to light fires at night and found places where they could lie comfortably and tried not move and just remain there. When daytime came many people had their rest but some still haven’t. But they continued to do so until finally all get their resta dn established a rhythm!"
People were happier now and there were less fighting.
The elder called them again and said “I am happy that everyone gets their rest and are more productive and active and cheerful when day time comes. This is something very wonderful and I would like to honor it by calling it SLEEP! This is also to remind us how our deep rest came about from a SLIP”
“So let’s all say it! S L E E P --------!!!” and they said it long “S L E E P!!!”
So that’s how sleep came about! :)
PS. This is LOTS longer but in my original story in Tagalog, I referred to the sound when you hit a hard object “TLOG”, there could be other sounds but I used that since it is nearest to “TULOG” which is sleep in Tagalog. My story to my nieces and nephews was also more simple :)
posted by elizabeth | 9:41 AM
1 Comments:
Ha Ha HA.
Magaling. Tawa ako ng tawa dito. Pwede itong maging isang maliit na book lagyan mo ng illustrations o drawings.
Baka magaya ito doon sa All about butterfly na book.
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