Hugh and I were sitting in a sleazy bar on Sunset Blvd drinking martinis. It was one of those “let’s see how the other half lives” nights. I’d told Hugh that no book could teach him as much about people as simply observing them. I noticed this woman who had her eyes all over Hugh and when he got up to go to the men’s room, she followed. So I got up to stop her in her tracks and, with my killer stare, looked her in the eye and said “Don’t even think about it”. At first she looked surprised then started laughing in this big husky voice. That mezzo-basso could only belong to one person–Tallulah Bankhead. Tallulah then looked me in the eyes and said: Well Honey, I kinda like you, too. And that’s how we became friends.
Of course there was no physical intimacy between us but we did enjoy one another’s company. Because companionship is better than sex. And I adored the stories she’d tell me about working with Hitchcock in The Lifeboat. Tallulah had enjoyed tormenting the cameraman by climbing the ladder to reach the tank where the filming took place with her panties off. The film crew would go wild and clap with glee.
Without a doubt, Tallulah loved attention but I’m sure it was because she had had so little of it growing up. She was fun, witty, and very generous to those in need. I liked most everything about her save for her drug addiction. Tallulah explained that she suffered from insomnia and thought drugs would help. But they didn’t so she would often ask some of her gay friends sit with her at night and hold her hand as she tried to fall asleep. Her fear of loneliness made her fear being alone.
Breaking away from an old lifestyle and creating a new one takes energy. So the most basic thing to do is get a good night’s sleep. Here are a few suggestions if you suffer from insomnia: keep a regular bedtime schedule, exercise during the day, no alcohol before bed, no computer or electronic devices in the bedroom, read a pleasant novel to keep you from thinking negative thoughts, make sure your bedroom is airy, clean, quiet, and completely dark when the lights are turned off. And if all that fails, try a foot massage after a cup of valerian tea!
Foot massages improve blood circulation which means nutrients flow and toxins are eliminated. They also help remove lactic acid accumulation. And all of this de-stresses and facilitates falling asleep.
Begin by sitting upright with your foot on your lap. Then, using both hands, pull each toe apart from its neighboring toe (pulling one toe towards the front and the other towards the back). Pull for several seconds until you start, hopefully, to yawn. Then, after all toes have been pulled, put pressure on toe pads one by one. At one point, you should start yawning. Completely massage one foot before doing the other. Remember, you want to make yourself yawn as much as possible.
Then the next step is to massage the acupressure point LV3 (the Great Rushing) located on the dorsal. To find the point, put your finger in between the first and second toe then slide down until you hit a depression. Press here and lightly massage for 4 – 5 seconds.
Now for the K1 point (the Bubbling Spring) found on the sole at the center of the indentation right below the ball of the foot. Press for several seconds, release then press again.
The more you yawn during the massage, the better you’ll sleep. The reasons why we yawn are still a mystery. But it seems obvious that by provoking deep breathing, yawns open up a flow of oxygen that liberates meridian blockage and releases tension. Yawns increase the levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin thus making it easier for us to fall asleep.
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(from Cool Breeze, aka The Age of Reconfiguration ©)
The Narrative Within 