Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – April 29, 2004
Having A Nap
Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – April 29, 2004 – Naps should be mandatory. All companies and businesses should be required to have a nap room, fully equipped with sensible single beds, soft lighting and perhaps a sound system playing gentle, classical music. Harp or flute would be good choices.
We already know that 88% of Canadians aren’t getting enough sleep, and this must affect them adversely in the work place. Think of all the important conclusions being arrived at by cranky, sleep-deprived people, groggy with fatigue. These decisions may be affecting us all. Perhaps that’s why Dalton McGuinty was thinking about taxing lottery winnings – he was tired when the idea came to him.
Now what if he’d just excused himself from his Cabinet Meeting and had 40 Winks? He’d have known that it was a bad idea! Why does he think we buy lottery tickets? The chance at a tax-free windfall would be the right answer. The fact that most of us will never win doesn’t dampen our enthusiasm one bit, because after all – “Just Imagine”.
I’ve read that Winston Churchill, Gandhi and Napoleon were great “nappers” and this little weakness certainly didn’t hamper their lives in any discernible way. I’m a big believer in the power of a nap. I was up early this morning and had a very busy day. By three o’clock this afternoon I was absolutely dragging around, so I had a nap. The beauty of this little interlude is that one doesn’t have to get undressed or be in bed – a sofa will do and an easy chair will suffice in a pinch.
The secret is to close the blind or turn off the light, lie down, take off your shoes and wiggle your toes, have a little stretch and then close your eyes. A few well timed “ahhs” are also good and then the secret is to just “relax”. Today I was completely aware that I could only nap for half an hour because my afternoon was busy, but it made an incredible difference in how I felt. My remaining tasks for the day were accomplished in short order.
The beauty of a nap is that it can last fifteen minuets , half an hour, or an hour or two. It’s taking a break when the old body clock says “whoa”, and acknowledging the necessity of slowing down. When nap time is over, we all know we must get back to the business at hand, and that’s okay.
Little kids know about the value of naps and so do dogs and cats. So now that I’m a big kid, I’m going to make a point of having a nap more often. “Napping Without Apology” may be the name of my first big New York Times best selling novel. It will be a futuristic look at a country, like Canada, run by a government of dedicated afternoon nappers, who make decisions that are in the best interests of its citizens. Okay – time for another 40 Winks – but you get the idea!
