This afternoon some strange waves of sleepiness passed through my life. It began after school as I was driving up to see my grandson and his family in Brooklyn, CT. I was never in danger of falling asleep at the wheel, but I did feel wondrously peaceful as I was driving – peaceful and serene and almost, but not quite, drowsy. Perhaps it was the lazy look of the countryside, with leaves sailing here and there and the bright trees standing motionless in the sunlight, that filled me with this sluggish spirit. I felt utterly peaceable and satisfied, just the way the fields and hills looked. At Jaimie and Jess’s, too, I felt that same sense of almost-falling-asleep. As I read some books to 4-year-old Noah, my eyes grew heavier with each turn of the page. Then, after dinner, when Jess brought little Ava (6 months old) over to me for a goodnight kiss, her eyes almost closed in sleep as she looked at me. Luckily, I came alive a little when I was driving home. I got to thinking about some appealing ideas and soon I was fully awake and enjoying the evening light as the sunshine slowly disappeared. Now I’m sitting at my computer (at 7:30 pm), and I’m starting once again to sense the sleepiness approaching to carry me off to some fine hours of rest.