What Is A Nap?
As we edge further and further into the Fall, one of my favorite things to do on a breezy Sunday afternoon is to curl up under a light blanket and take a little nap. There's nothing quite like sitting in the sunshine, warmed in the sun's rays.
Just like a cat, to drift off into a nothingness, even for just a little while. Or it's the perfect chance to do something we loved to do when we were children ... nap time in kindergarten.
So I got to thinking about what napping really is. Is it the length of time and a lack of depth? Light and dreamless? No alarm clocks? Perhaps the tv on a quiet noise level ... something to keep us from going into the arms of a true slumber?
I've seen people nap on the deck of a ship. A book or magazine in their hands, suspended for the reader and then it slowly creeps lower, towards their laps as their eyelids get heavy. Next thing you see, chins settled on chests. Or how about sitting quietly on a train, hearing the wheels go clickety clack on the track, the same rhythm over and over again as the mind quiets and your eyelids get heavy. Then there is the short nap during commercial breaks on tv, except these days, with DVR and TEVO, there is no need for that kind of nap. Scratch that. Or how about the refreshing nap before dinner? You come home from a busy day and just want 10-15 minutes to relax away the stresses of the office. Shoes off, feet up, tilted back, the warm smells drifting in from the kitchen.
One of my favorite places to nap is in a hammock. This summer when I was up in Mammoth Lakes, my Uncle strung the hammock up for me and I would head over with my blanket and pillow along with a book, which was only there for appearances because I was intending on taking a nap. Lulled by the cool breezes coming off the mountains, suspended and gently rocking, curled up under the blanket, off I went. Was out asleep? No, as I heard the casual conversations of people wandering by.
One couple even commented on how comfy I looked, the perfect way to spend some time on a lazy mountain afternoon. They had hammock nap envy, I could hear it in the husbands voice. I smiled in my nap haze and listened as they wandered further away. So I've come to the conclusion that .... taking a nap helps to take the edge off, relax us, indulges the inner child, I mean who am I to say you can't have your cookies and milk when you wake up?
NAP: Dosing lightly in order to Never Appear Peeved.
So I got to thinking about what napping really is. Is it the length of time and a lack of depth? Light and dreamless? No alarm clocks? Perhaps the tv on a quiet noise level ... something to keep us from going into the arms of a true slumber?
I've seen people nap on the deck of a ship. A book or magazine in their hands, suspended for the reader and then it slowly creeps lower, towards their laps as their eyelids get heavy. Next thing you see, chins settled on chests. Or how about sitting quietly on a train, hearing the wheels go clickety clack on the track, the same rhythm over and over again as the mind quiets and your eyelids get heavy. Then there is the short nap during commercial breaks on tv, except these days, with DVR and TEVO, there is no need for that kind of nap. Scratch that. Or how about the refreshing nap before dinner? You come home from a busy day and just want 10-15 minutes to relax away the stresses of the office. Shoes off, feet up, tilted back, the warm smells drifting in from the kitchen.
One couple even commented on how comfy I looked, the perfect way to spend some time on a lazy mountain afternoon. They had hammock nap envy, I could hear it in the husbands voice. I smiled in my nap haze and listened as they wandered further away. So I've come to the conclusion that .... taking a nap helps to take the edge off, relax us, indulges the inner child, I mean who am I to say you can't have your cookies and milk when you wake up?
NAP: Dosing lightly in order to Never Appear Peeved.
When it comes to the art of napping, you're an Olympian. Although I've always been amazed that you could nap almost anywhere, I think I was never as astonished as I was to see you napping on the bus trip back from the ruins of Ephesus in Turkey. That's when I tried waking you up to point out the stork's nest on the rooftop of a house we passed. The bus definitely wasn't a Greyhound with comfortable seats and neck rests, but you could snooze anyway.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any idea how many times I'd been on that same bus to and from Ephesus? Holy cow, in the two years I worked on the Stella Solaris, there were plenty. I think I could have even been the tour guide, like that time I had to take over in Akrotiri on the island of Santorini.
ReplyDelete:)