Midnight Thoughts, A Poem of Sleepless Nights

There’s a lot of uncertainty that comes with being on the World Race… where will we live? Will we have heat or air conditioning when we get there? Also, when are we leaving? What’s the food going to be like? Will we have beds to sleep in. The answer to this last question changed vastly from place to place. And in my time in Albania I was having a difficult time sleeping at night. All of this prompted me to write a poem called “Midnight Thoughts” reflecting on all of it after departing to our next country.

So here it is, folks…

Midnight Thoughts

“In restless nights like these,

Without a mere shadow of slumber,

There are hours spent in contemplation,

Considering the complexities of life on the field.

Listening to the live bands jiving and the drunk men crackling,

And the screaming cats wailing outside my windows,

Are they fighting or giving birth I’m not entirely sure…

But I’m reminded that my mind is just as chaotic.

So I begin reflecting on the vast array,

Of sleeping arrangements I’ve thus far encountered:

From ground to sling to sloping then probing;

Then spring assisted sinkhole to a mid-level concave,

Finding now that I rest on a mild convex,

A gente mountain rolling me to “sleep” from side to side.

As my body is tired, yes oh so tired, I find my mind is vibrant with life,

Indeed she’s quite active, may I dare say even electric?

These are precious hours of the night I’ll truly never get back,

Wrestling with my sleeping bag and twisted jammys, yes.

But also, quite frankly, wrestling with the Lord.

I know that regardless of how much sleep debt I acquire,

No amount of attempted napping could ever pay it off!

But is it meant to be paid off…?

As I consider this precious thing I desire,

I begin to wonder if maybe my priorities are wrong?

These late nights up with Abba are causing me to search,

To process deeply and press into His presence.

I can’t avoid or hide or ignore.

In my heightened state of sleep depravity I find him refining me once more.

This fire hurts, surely worse than the springs in my sides…”

Istanbul, Türkiye 🇹🇷

March 9, 2024

That’s all, I did eventually drift off to sleep 😴✌🏽. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Below are some pictures capturing a few of our sleeping arrangements over this last year… ones not included are more tent and hammock setups, a bunk room that sleeps 8, and bunk room that sleeps 16 👀, sleeping mats on dusty church floors, 24 hour bus rides, and long international flights ✈️