Sample and Buy from
CDBaby,
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A Note from me, Charlie Channel:
Thank you for visiting my personal website.
I have begun posting poetry and short stores to help anybody chill out. You'll find audio content that will help
you to get to sleep, help your child or children get to sleep or create an
atmosphere that's conducive to relaxation.
When I originally did CCBB, after 9-11 and before
the Invasion of Iraq, I keenly felt a need for something to help
people cope with this world. That children have been terrorized and
traumatized are facts -- by hearing about or witnessing violence in school, by being
bullied by those who know nothing of power, by suffering the dissolution of
family due to ignorance, emotion, the works of patriotism or simply being in the
wrong place at the wrong time.
As a cure for childhood insomnia, CCBB is simply
an attempt to provide something that, in the last analysis, gives a positive
spin on sleeping and dreaming. In reality, sleep and relaxation are the
key to achievement -- whether it be in business, peak performing in sports,
innovative breakthroughs in thought or sanity in the family circle.
In our electronic age, we are overly stimulated by
the manifestations of electricity: the electric light bulb, the
television, the radio, the video game, the CD.
In the old days (imagine that) when the Sun went
down, it was time to gather around the camp fire and get some sleep.
Somebody had to stand watch, true enough. But, for the most part, sleep
was welcomed as an end to a day and an entry point for another day that would come much too soon. For it
was at Sunrise everything began to move. It was the time for people and
animals and plants to awaken to another struggle in which the joy and tragedy of
life was met.
Our circadian rhythms (speaking of we humans)
still tell us where we need to go with this: Go to bed! Lay down.
Sleep!!! Alas, the light bulb enables us to ride our curiosity into the
next chapter of the book, into the next TV episode or talk radio -- way past bed
times.
That sleep is more than essential -- "vital's" the
word. For your sanity and the sanity of young children, (by the time a kid
gets to puberty, the insanity of life has set it) it's important for
everyone to associate health and effectiveness with sleeping and
dreaming. First, and most importantly, is the fact that if you don't get
sleep, you'll go crazy and die. Folks, it really is that simple.
That's the best case scenario. Oh, yea: Puberty. That's when the
nascent adults need sleep too, despite the habits that have been formed.
In fact, they probably need it more.
A worst case scenario occurs
when -- due to being overstressed, overworked, under paid and probably sleep deprived --
people have forgotten a child was in a car or bus, embarked on their daily
struggle only to disembark to face a tragedy of a dead child unknowingly left in a
vehicle. Or, sometimes a car or a truck crashes, for no apparent reason. When I read those stories, I wonder how much sleep, how much
rest, how much relaxation the parent or driver had the night before.
We've all slipped a gear, missed a shift or forgot
an anniversary (birthdays are anniversaries, too, you know). And we pray
that we're conscious enough to really remember the important stuff. If
you're not getting enough sleep, you're going to miss the important stuff.
Guaranteed. Did you know that a lack of proper sleep is as bad, if not worse,
than driving under the influence of alcohol? It's for that reason alone
children should learn that sleeping and dreaming is something that is as
important as brushing your teeth, washing you face, changing your underwear,
washing your hands and saying "please" or "thank you!"
Childhood insomnia and bed time ritual are difficulties in some households. CCBB, and the free stuff you'll find on this
site, may help you to zone out or establish and enjoy the ritual. The family is the
heaven, the safe harbor, from the stresses of this world. A child learning
that sleep really does lead to a better tomorrow is taught a very profound
lesson. If the great inventors and thinkers did not sleep on the old and
awaken to a new day, they would never have discovered or realized the new way.
I encourage you to read to your children at
bedtime, often. Make it a routine. They love it. The exclusive
attention they get is what they thrive on. If you've got more than one
child, try set aside one "special" night for each child. That night is
always his or hers. They'll remember it, cherish it, and maybe even cause
you to fall asleep with them. Those are precious moments that only live
when you make them. For time will pass, and the child will grow.
And, you know the story of the 3 little pigs. They move on (hopefully,
some will say).
May they take the sweet memories of your time spent with them at bed time, of stories read, of kisses and hugs shared, and
of blissfully leaving the noise of the world behind (at least for a little
while).
So, now, go on an listen to the MP3's. And,
if you want, load them on your PDP
(portable digital player), and pipe it through a portable boom box or AM-FM/CD/Tape player
or amp'd speakers on you iPod, iRiver or whatever. Guaranteed, it's
something different and designed to encourage a positive attitude and feeling
about sleep and dreaming. May the content help you and them to get to
sleep, peacefully, positively and promptly.
Peace.
CC
P.S. If you know any military family which
may benefit from CCBB CD, let me know.
