Milk, my bedtime buddy

MILK holds a lot of unpleasant memories for me. When I was a child, breakfast would always be served with a glass of milk. Seeing that tall glass of white liquid right beside my corned beef and rice made me shiver. I would heartily eat my meal, but the milk remained untouched. My Mom would encourage me to drink it — so I’d be taller, healthier, have stronger bones. I’d shake my head and stubbornly refuse to drink it. It would only be touched when I’d sense a scolding about to come.

I carried that distaste for milk into my teens. Milk would still be a constant presence at the table, but I would choose to ignore it. To have it with cereal would be okay, but to drink it on its own was another thing.

One night, I drank a glass of warm milk before going to bed. I had been hearing how milk can help you go to sleep much easier. So I tried it and I liked it. Milk and I became friends.

I realized that I didn’t like milk because I was forced to drink it. But when not associated with scoldings and forced breakfasts, I would turn to it for comfort — specifically, a tall glass of warm milk. I would wrap my hands around the warm glass, feel the heat permeate my skin and feel calm and good. And it can’t be soy milk, chocolate milk or any other kind of milk. It has to be cow’s milk. This comforts me most.

There are lot of facts on why milk is good for you — strong bones, strong teeth, prevents osteoporosis, even slimming. While I do drink it for those reasons, I drink it even more when it’s almost midnight and I still can’t sleep. Perhaps my glass of warm milk has a bedtime story that only I can hear, and a lullabye that does lull me into a calm slumber.

It’s not unpleasant anymore, as a glass of warm milk has become my nighttime buddy. I drift off to sleep with a happy smile, minus the milk mustache of course. Milk is my happy bedtime drink.

Share This