“I don’t feel old. I don’t feel anything until noon. Then it’s time for my nap.” Bob Hope
Boy, I wish I could nap.
I watch my guy on a soft slow Saturday afternoon, slumped on the large armchair in front of the window. If his eyes were open, he’d survey the soft fluffy clouds floating over the azure blue waters, and he’d note the gentle movement of the white sailboats as they lazed across the Bay.
But his head is leaned back and his mouth is open, releasing a sonorous hum of a snore every 30 seconds.
I am jealous beyond belief.
Instead, I see the hummingbirds sprint from tree to feeder just beyond the window, and I stretch my achy tired muscles.
I awoke at 6, walked the Bay path at 7, attended yoga class at 9:30, and joined a friend for a 2-hour hike at noon.
My body screams at me, “You are not a 20-year-old girl anymore.” But I laugh out loud at such nonsense. At 20, I couldn’t walk for a half a mile, much less five. I thought yoga was an Indian mystic, and “hike” was a football term.
No, I am not 20, but I am active, energetic, and three times the age when I used to think playing tennis for 40 minutes was overdoing it.
A Dad Naps.
A perfect afternoon nap.
So why the heck can’t I nap?
I beg my body, GO TO SLEEP.
Relax, I cajole my brain – nod, nod into blissful oblivion.
Babies nap, 30-year-olds nap, Daddies nap and dogs nap.
Why can’t I?
A 30-year-old naps.
A car nap.
I peer at my guy, sleeping the nap of the fortunate.
I head for the hallway closet and take out my yoga mat.
A headstand sometimes makes me sleepy….
roughwighting 
Of course you have seen so many beautiful things that the sleepy ones have missed, but I do hope you’ll get that nap that you long for. And remember to come down after that headstand, dear.
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Never got that nap. But I DID get to see what things look like, upside down… :-0
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I have never been able to nap either, Pam. Until the last 6 months or so when between 3:30-4:30 either on the family room couch or chaise lounge on the porch, sometimes I just fall into a nap…sometimes for an hour! The problem? When I wake up I am all “who am I, where am I” and invariably have a monster headache. I am no good for the rest of the evening and have trouble getting to sleep at bedtime. So, be careful what you wish for!
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Oh, I agree. For me, waking up from a nap is like waking up with a hangover. And I didn’t even get to enjoy drinking, first! You and I are not meant to nap.
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So true! Though I take plenty of cat naps and MAD can fall asleep anywhere anytime, my pub cannot master the ‘nap’ either, xo LMA
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You beautiful cats have the nap-thing figured out beautifully. Wish you could teach us all, including your pub, your secrets.
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the joys of living with someone who snores..
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You will keep you me in your loop when you move to Boston? I will miss you. Nothing like being close to family. Love
Jeanette
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For good or bad, you’ll be able to read what’s going on in my life every week, Jeannette! But yes, let’s definitely stay connected in other ways too; after all, we’re sisters. xo
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I can’t nap either. DID the headstand help you feel sleepy and did you nap?
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No nappy after headstand. But I did feel quite revitalized! 🙂 Perhaps you and I are just meant to stare into the distance and ‘meditate’ for awhile, no nap required.
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No more headstands for me but I manage to take a short little nap when I’m in the corpse pose at the end of my yoga class. What a treat. Good luck with your naps .
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Lucky you! So many times I’m in Shavasana, and I hear others around me snoring sweetly. Never me. But I do get the benefits of total relaxation in that pose, and I suppose that’s what napping is all about. Namaste.
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I’m allergic to yoga, so that wouldn’t work for me, but I sure hope you finally got your nap! 🙂
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Allergic to yoga – ha ha – I like that. Well, I confess, I’m more into shoulder stands than headstands, and they do give me a new ‘perspective’ on things. No nap, though. 😦
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This is so funny. And not. Now that I can nap (on weekends), I can’t sleep! I am supine, but I toss and turn, stories, worries, in my head. Shut up, I say! But they won’t listen.
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I’m with you friend, including the ‘shut up shut up shut up’ message to my brain. Sigh. Should you try a headstand…? 🙂
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Oh you poor nap-less soul! I wish you sleep. All that exercise is supposed to do it–wonder what’s not working? I so often MUST have my nap. Don’t always have to sleep though. Just close my eyes and breathe and relax. Could you give yourself permission to lie down and not sleep? Tell your nap-less self you’re just giving yourself a “permission slip” to lie down for 15 minutes. Then you never know what might happen when you have no intention to sleep.
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You, my dear, always have the best ideas. As you totally know, what you’re suggesting is meditation (lying down or not) and yes, that is the answer for us napless fools. Now, it’s 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning, west coast time, and I’m off to my yoga class. Headstand, anyone? xo
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Naps are over-rated if you ask me! 😉 I’d rather get my sleep all at once at night (not that it usually works that way, lol) I end up napping when I don’t mean to sometimes – most often while sitting on the couch watching a movie that hasn’t held my interest!
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(shhhhh, I totally agree with you!). Who wants to nap when there’s a zillion things to do/watch/enjoy during the waking hours? But darn, I wish my crazy mind would stop when it’s time to sleep at night. Did you come up with any solution for THAT?
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I wish I had the solution for that! Been especially hard to shut it down since school started.
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I love napping! 15 Minute power naps are the best!
But then…sometimes I have restless nights when my mind won’t shut off and I get up at 3am. Hubby asks what in the world is wrong with me and I tell him I’ll sleep when I’m dead -there’s just too much to do!
😉
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I hear/read that those 10-minute power naps are the BEST thing for a person. Darn. But standing on your head is supposed to be good for you too….
The “3 a.m. problem”? I think you and I and a million other women need to find a ‘shut-off’ valve.
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I can’t nap unless I’m sick. I can’t even fall asleep on the sofa or a comfy chair. I have to be in bed. I’ve been jealous of those who can sleep anywhere. You know the type—the people who fall asleep watching TV. HOW?
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If those ‘nappers’ knew how they do it, they could bottle it up and sell millions…!!
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Fortunately I’ve never really had a problem with sleeping… and when I did, I always just used to relax and daydream. I figured it would still be better to just lie there and try to regain some energy as opposed to get up and expend what little energy I have left…
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Yes, true. Perhaps I should just consider ‘daydreaming’ for a while, instead of actually napping. Thanks for the suggestion!
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If I do fall asleep in the afternoon I usually wake up feeling groggy and worse off than before I fell asleep. 😦 I am also jealous of my mate – if he stops moving he falls asleep. And when something wakes me up in the middle of the night he sleeps right through it. Grrr…
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My guy is exactly like that too! He’ll say, “Time for bed,” and before I can turn to him and say, “already?” — he’s asleep. Now that’s just not fair.
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