Author: Elayjah Earles

I strive to write about what defines me and helps me understand others and myself better. With more time, I recognize how important it is to tell a story. It doesn't have to be a story about my life, but a story about someone who has taught me something in the form of a character. No matter who it's about, or what it contains, storytelling is what brings light to the dark areas of humanity and because of that I am always going to be an advocate for the writing community.

Joe Pera Talks you to sleep

Falling asleep isn’t easy. Sometimes it’s hard to quiet your racing thoughts and let your worries rest. My thoughts are most active at night. For the longest time I tried to find a way to dissolve, replace or eliminate them and every time I came back with nothing. It was an exhausting and tedious.

That was until I found a solution to my problem…It’s a tv show called “Joe Pera Talks you to sleep.”

Now, the title is exactly what the show consists of. It’s just a man (Joe Pera) Sitting in his bed with pajamas on talking to you until you fall asleep. That’s all. In this show joe uses a list of topics to replace our anxious thoughts with his calming ones. These thoughts are told through his monotone voice and lazy demeanor. As a whole, it has gotten me through many sleepless nights, and I’d like to share this stress reliever with you.

In this blog I’ll be discussing some of the interesting topics and quotes Joe Pera brings up in his Tv show. Hopefully they sound interesting enough for you to also use it as a stress reliever from time to time.

“Are you nervous about starting something new? A new job, a new baby, a new pair of dress shoes your stressed about breaking in?”

In this show he uses plenty of opportunities to add irrelevant information. It’s quite humorous and relaxing. It makes you stop thinking about the weird crossing guard or rude customer. They catch your attention and get you thinking. Like maybe in this great big world there’s someone out there who’s worried about breaking in a new pair of dress shoes.

It’s comforting to know that the world is big, and your problems are small. All it takes is a change of perspective and looking at it from a less serious standpoint. Joe does a great job at evoking that perspective.

2. “Rain pouring must be #4 most soothing sounds, a close #5 would be pouring milk. It is especially soothing if it is whole milk.”-

Joe is specific about his ramblings. He speaks his mind and refuses to lie even if you’re listening to it on the verge of sleep. This quote is a piece of joe’s dialogue. It doesn’t dive into his likes and dislikes much, but he is very informative when it comes to a topic he is interested in. They are all specific and interesting, it makes you think about starting your own podcast or book because he doesn’t have a lot to say. But still, he finds a way to make it impactful and meaningful to viewers. And personally, it’s nice to be immersed in someone else’s world for a moment.

3. “It’s okay. I’m not too worried about my photographic legacy, in fact, I hope I’m not remembered at all and that one day I can just disappear.”

For context: Joe can’t keep his eyes open during pictures and must take them multiple times because the flash is too bright.

Joe’s thoughts and perceptions of the world can be vastly different from the average person’s. We can take lighthearted and humorous turns, or we can venture into the darker aspects of things. He expresses different viewpoints that reach many types of viewers. It’s refreshing and heartwarming to know he that he isn’t just rambling but also taking into consideration the different audiences reacting. Also, joe is a bit of a homebody, and he doesn’t like the fast life. In this show we rarely take a dive for deeper, sensitive topics but they do add a soothing touch.

The people fate binds you to..

“Accept the things to which fate binds you and love the people with whom fate brings you together but do so with all your heart.”
Marcus Aurelius

Then, this quote was something to hear and not feel. It was surface level and could not penetrate past that point, like a stick of hay trying to poke a hole into a SUV. I thought noticing and accepting the people we are around was common sense. At least, what this meant to me was to have compassion for people. Express your love for them, if you are able/comfortable and want to be in the position of receiving that love back.

Thinking further, I was so in focused on myself and what I was adding to the world. Was I good enough at this? Or could I use more focus at that? I can’t say I remember a single time where I was just sitting with the people fate bonded me to without using my phone or accessing that part of my brain that naturally critiqued itself. Then, I thought this was a good thing. If I found every weak point of my piano skills or read a hefty section of a biology book, I’d be set for life. I’d have the world.

But now, without the people fate bonded me to those big things feel small. Everything I worked toward wasn’t worthless, they just weren’t as meaningful as they used to be. It seems like the time was wasted instead of well spent. What I was adding to the world didn’t mean anything because the world is given to everyone but the people around me were exclusively my own.

I think times like this become a realization. They warp into a picture that you aren’t familiar with but those are all your brush strokes, those are all your handprints. It’s created away from your eye but nonetheless in your favor.

And maybe that’s what life is about. Painting a picture, you cannot actually see or touch, you just have to let who you are be the brush and how you live be the brushstrokes. Living away from my family has let the picture come alive and show itself to me. Who I am, and how I live. It’s not a bad realization of course, because I’m not a bad person. It’s just so strong and haunting that it seems final.

But how can we combat this feeling? Can we become something different than we used to be? Take extra care to show our family that we love and need them and appreciate the support they give us? We don’t have to change in fact we just have to do some inner work. Make goals and plans to reach out to them and find a center. Where we feel peace away from the people the universe put in our space. But before that we have to become better family members. Join in the family board game or volunteer to go grocery shopping with grandma. Braid your sister’s hair while watching her favorite show and talk about the most random things together. Talk about how the shoes hanging on the powerline once belonged to someone and share how they even got there in the first place.

This creates involvement. So that the peace sprouts from something good. It sprouts from effort that energizes your familial bond. That even though we haven’t been the most involved in the past we can strengthen it with good intentions alone. They will recognize this, they will see the frequent calls and letters, they will notice how your room door is open and inviting and how you always greet them in the morning and wish them a goodnight at the end of the day. This, to me, is accepting our loved ones at a deeper range. Valuing the people we’ve looked over, because we need them after all.