The beacon cut through the Cleveland gloom. There, high in the sky, in lights, was the familiar picture of a guy talking on the phone. The call had gone out for Cunix. Where the Hell is Cunix? Truth, I was M.I.A. More specifically, I was taking a nap.
A nap! I don’t nap. I don’t know that I napped when I was a little kid. Up until a month ago I viewed sleep as something you did when you ran out of good things to do. I normally went to bed after midnight and got up at 5:30 or 6 each morning. Now I drag myself out of bed sometime before 8 and try to find time to rest or nap every afternoon.
These are the adjustments one must make. There is a constant struggle between doing too little and doing too much. I need to build stamina, but if I push too far I am whipped the next day or two. So I tend to err on the side of too much. Because that’s me and because I want to get back to normal.
My favorite nurse checks in almost daily. And not just to scold me! She monitors my water intake, walking, and rest. And one day I am going to give her the right answers.
So turn off the beacon and kill the lights. If can’t find me, I’m probably taking a nap. Or trying hard not to…
Good for you! As a recovering non-napper myself, I learned from Brene Brown (“Power of Vulnerability”) to no longer wear exhaustion as a status symbol. I work hard and play even harder…that includes naps, day dreaming and staring at my new bird feeder. The human body is smart…if it needs rest, it’ll tell you……….don’t…fight…it…zzzzzzzz.
I’ve always said that naps are wasted on the young. They become much more valuable with age. Nap away – you’ve earned it. And for all those days that you push yourself hard, please try to find a day or two where you do a little less than you’re capable of. But you know that – it’s all about the balance.