Once upon a time there was a little girl who lived in a small town on the footsteps of a snowy mountain.
One night, as she was tucked under her blanket getting ready to end her day and put her body and mind to rest, something happened.
She could not fall asleep.
She lay there for hours, and as time passed she was getting more and more worried and scared that this would happen again, so she came up with a brilliant plan.
She noticed that what was keeping her awake was her thoughts. They were like a torch beaming light directly onto her face… No way she could fall asleep like that, right?
So she imagined herself inside a tall tower. The tower's walls were packed with opened drawers, a bright light shining out of each one.
Whenever a thought, or even just a word would come to her mind, she would put in a drawer and shut it.
The tower also had two big, heavy wooden doors. Every once in a while the girl would realise she is busy with something that is completely useless or bothering her in vain, so she would put it out the door and close it.
Slowly the tower grew darker and her mind grew quieter.
She fell into the deepest, dreamless sleep and when she woke up she felt utterly satisfied, even though she did not sleep for many hours.
Just like any practice, the more she did it the easier it became until eventually she could just imagine the tower all dark and silent, inviting her to fall asleep.
My sweet friend Brie told me this story when she heard about my sleeping problems. She was that little kid. Now, I often use it to clear my mind for meditation and when I do struggle at night, The Tower is my safe heaven, too.