Jack after 8 p.m. (Provided photo)

If moving to the Adirondacks has done one thing, it’s helped me build a better relationship with The Sandman.

We used to fight every night starting around 10 o’clock. He’d tap me on the shoulder, toss a little sand in my eyes and make me start yawning. And I’d wrestle with him (he’s pretty strong, in fact) by drinking a Coke, watching a favorite movie, scarfing down a Super Softee Donut. But he always managed to get up off the floor and, eventually, drag me off to bed.

Then my wife and I moved to Adirondack Park. Almost overnight, The Sandman became a friend. We’d play Parcheesi, share a box of Super Softee Donuts, chat for a few minutes, then walk, arm-in-arm to the bedroom where I’d be out in no time, the owls and loons reassuring me instead of the car alarms and police sirens reawakening me.

But it’s not the owls or the loons or even The Sandman that makes me so agreeable to a peaceful night’s sleep. It’s the hikes, the paddles and the swims. It’s skiing, snow-shoeing, sledding. It’s the Adirondacks, where every season has its own means of tuckering you out and tucking you in.

Adirondack activities also led me to another fun activity even while I slept — brain activity. I seem to dream more up here or maybe they’re just more vivid. Whatever it is, it’s welcome and wonderful. Often puzzling, always thought-provoking, dreams are like going to the movies without the gum under your seat or the taste of stale popcorn in your mouth. When your children hear, “okay, time for bed,” do they run and hide behind the drapes like most kids? Tell them they might see a movie and they’ll jump under the covers. (Just embellish it with some silly Disney trappings.)

According to Statista Research, published in August of 2023, Americans spent nearly $6.54 billion dollars in 2022 on movie tickets alone, and that’s not counting money spent on streaming! Who knew all we had to do was fall asleep?

The folks who know about such things say we spend 26 years of our lives sleeping. If you live in the Adirondacks I’ll bet it’s even more. So about one third of being alive is being asleep. And that’s all of us. It doesn’t matter who you are — good, bad, rich, poor, red state or blue state — if you’re human, you subscribe. The best part is, there is no password!

So where am I going with this? Why world peace, of course.

Look, conflicts arise because of conflicting goals. So maybe if we want to eliminate conflicts, we should try getting folks to agree on goals. And we just stumbled upon the one goal that everybody agrees upon — a peaceful night’s sleep!

Here’s a crazy thought: We invite the world to come to Adirondack Park. C’mon, we could do it! And the collective chambers of commerce would froth at the mouth.

Between Hotel Saranac, the North Country cabins, the Sunset Park Motel, all of those hotels, motels and inns in Placid, plus Paul Smiths, Ticonderoga and all of the other towns within the Blue Line … there’s enough room for everybody! Then we get them hiking the 46, paddling the Raquette and all of its tributaries, walking the Rail Trail (it’ll be done by then) … soon the world will agree that nothing’s more important than getting a peaceful night’s sleep and, hey, a peaceful night’s sleep is a start. It’s bound to lead to peaceful days and nights.

I passed it by The Sandman and he was all for it … as long as there was Parcheesi and Super Softee Donuts for everyone. Yes, I know it’s not possible, or feasible, or actionable.

But a guy can dream, can’t he?

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Jack Cardone is a resident of Piercefield. He’s retired after working as a creative director at a major New York City advertising agency for over 40 years. Have feedback on this column? Email us at news@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.