On Thursday night I woke up a little after midnight and could not fall back to sleep. I tossed and turned trying desperately to find a comfortable position. Nothing was working. After a little more than an hour had gone by, I finally got up and went downstairs.

About 30 minutes later, I began to feel drowsy, so I headed back up only to find it was a ruse. I was still unable to get comfortable and fall asleep.

I began counting backwards and finally nodded off.

I got about three hours of sleep before my internal alarm clock went off at 5:45 a.m.

I lay there contemplating if I wanted to get up, ultimately deciding to get my day going. But as I made my way to the bedroom door I realized I was still sleepy after a restless night and crawled back in bed.

Unlike earlier, the bed was comfortable and inviting so I had no problem snuggling back in for a few more minutes under the covers. While there, I wondered what changed. Why now was my bed feeling comfy and cozy when at 2 a.m. I was like the “The Princess and the Pea” — tossing and turning.

It’s peculiar how something can be so irritating and annoying one minute and be a blessing the next.

I liken this to our town.

Sure, we have days when it seems like there is a constant flow of less than glowing news. From shooting and stealing to drug deals and homicide – there are bad people doing bad stuff.

It can be enough to lose sleep over.

But certainly, our attributes outweigh any bumps and lumps.

We have a downtown that is growing by leaps and bounds. New businesses are cropping up all over and there are activities and events galore. Just check out The Vicksburg Post’s online calendar.

Our community is also warm and welcoming — just like my bed when I have a good night’s sleep.