A REMEMBERAMBLE FOR WEDNESDAY 3/25/2026

HELLO FRIENDS!!

It is Wednesday, not much else to say about it. Yep, I double checked my calendar and the almanac and they agree that it is Wednesday. We will take their word for it, and dive right into it. It is well to start your day knowing what day it is, because the days of the week are not the same. If it matters not to you the day of the week, then you must be a wealthy person, not a devout Christian, and in very good health, yet somewhat reclusive by nature. Now, I am not trying to play "Columbo," who by the way was the king of the television detectives. The literary character, Sherlock Holmes was known to be able to deduce an amazing number of details about a person by watching that person approach him and his sidekick Dr. Watson, and listen to the person speak. The gait, the dress, dialect, hands, etc., allowed Holmes to present that person with many correct details about themselves. My statement above makes assumptions, I indicate wealth because not being concerned with the day you are in, mans that you are not gainfully employed and do not need to be. I say that you are not a devout Christian, maybe you claim Christianity, but are not involved in any church or church activities. I say "very good health," because many of us must keep up with our days, due to ongoing health matters that require visits to healthcare professionals, on a regular basis. Finally, I ascribe reclusive traits to you, since you would evidently not care to join groups, clubs, or other social activities. My mind captured a profundity yesterday as it was mulling something else, and it is this, once you get healthcare insurance you will begin to be deeply involved in the healthcare system as a chronic patient as never before. If you are sans insurance, you will have few prescriptions, appointments with specialists, or medical imaging or testing. Once you get good insurance coverage, that will change, and you will mount the medical merry-go-round, and stay their until it throws you off...it "ain't no kiddie-ride."

As you see, the healthcare carousel is sort of out of whack as we say, and it surely is

I will finish with a subject that I have written about a few times over the years, that bears visiting once more. That subject is the dreaded condition known as "sleep paralysis." I had never heard of it, when I had it happen to me for the first time as a young man. While sleeping, I awoke and was completely paralyzed, I was in a terrified panic state but I could not move nor speak. I did not know what was happening, I had no way of knowing it would go away, and I was fighting like a person in a straight jacket with a gag on. It seemed an eternity before it faded away and I was able to move and speak. My granny said it was what was called, the "hold-downs," or the "old hag." I learned that it happens to many people, in fact research shows that it happens to a bit less than ten percent of the population. It is the result of a person waking from REM sleep, before the brain has released them from the normal paralytic state that occurs during while we are dreaming. This is what keeps us from acting out and hurting ourselves while asleep and dreaming. Some people are more prone to suffer from occasional episodes, and episodes can be triggered by lack of sleep and extended periods of not sleeping, sleeping on one's back, some medications and other factors can trigger sleep paralysis. No matter how many times you have episodes, they are always terrifying. However, I know when I awake with the condition, to try to stay calm, and not panic while waiting for it to subside. Going back to granny telling me about it being known as the hold downs or the old hag, there is a reason for that. Most folks who experience sleep paralysis report a phenomenon that adds to the terror, as if paralysis was not bad enough, where there is an overwhelming sensation of an "evil presence" in the room, often vague and shadowy just beyond the foot of their bed, or even worse, the sensation of an evil entity sitting on their chest. This is the "old hag," of folklore, who holds one down during an episode, resulting in the term for it as the "hold downs."

The old hag

In researching sleep paralysis as a medical problem and a folk belief, I was surprised to find that term old hag is common in Newfoundland, Canada and Georgia and South Carolina. I have never come across any other folk belief attributed to a Province of Canada and two southern states. A while back I had happen every time I slept and lived in dread of it. Have you suffered from the hold downs/old hag/sleep paralysis? I hope not, I really do. Love y'all...I am running late so I do not have time to edit out mistakes, so if you see any please do your best to figure out my meaning.

John 3:16 KJV

we boyz three, babee conway, lil merle, & me