Slow Havamal: 23

In the 23rd verse, we are told that only a fool stays up all night worrying about his problems. When he wakes, he’s just tired and none of them are solved.

While I often dive into some metaphorical meaning of the verse, this one gave me the most value as a simple, practical reminder. Most of Havamal’s verses have obvious applications to life. Change your behavior, get a better result. Few are as straightforward as this one. It’s a common habit of mine to go to bed and immediate cozy up in all my worries like a soiled blanket. Some part of me actually enjoys it. There may be some good to naming the problems we face and planning a solution, but often that’s not what’s going on. And couldn’t it wait until morning? If the problem truly is so dire that it must be solved before dawn, I shouldn’t be in bed at all. And if it isn’t, tackling it on a good night’s rest is far wiser.( Read more... )