I haven’t thought about him in quite some time.  But here I am, thinking about the Sandman.

I’ve sang the song…  but other than that… I haven’t given this character much regard, one way or the other.  So.
The Sandman is based on the old bedtime story that parents used to tell their children, hoping it would lull them to sleep. Now, the actual origins of this tale are not very clear.  But they may predate written history.  It does appear that one generation to the next…. passed along this very nifty story (in some variation).  And here we have it.

The story goes like this.  There is an entity that comes to you in that space of time just before you fall asleep.

At some point,  after your eyes close for the last time on any particular night, and just before you fall into a state of unconsciousness…. that little Sandman materializes over you.

Who exactly is he, and why? No one is sure because no one has ever got a good look at him.

Some claim he has a head shaped like the crescent moon, and dark eyes with stars inside them.  Others claim he is bright in every way… like the moon and stars above.  He carries with him a bag of magic sand, and he sprinkles a very small amount over you.

Some say it twinkles in the moonlight, like a thousand tiny stars just over your face as they fall. Some say the sand actually sounds like a music box, or the flitter of faerie wings. No one has ever really heard the sound however, for by the time the sand touches your face and alights about your eyelids, you’re on your way to dreaming.

He does not wish to hurt them, for he is very fond of children.  He comes to  good children, and then they dream the most beautiful stories the whole night.

Since those days of old, people have written different stories about the Sandman, making the depiction of him, quite the inverse tale.  These authors have introduced fear and darkness…making this delightful character into a sinister creature of the night.

I for one, like the good and magical Sandman.  I prefer the pleasant dreams and thoughts of the undiscovered possibilities.
I like to believe in fairy dust, unexplained kindness, elves, and magical sprites.  I love the thought of rainbow cakes, and the voice of the moon.  Yes.  I love the magic.
I do believe in the Good Sandman.  And with that, I wish you “Sweet Dreams.”

“Sleep is the best meditation.”  – Dalai Lama