Ah, the nap. The glorious nap. Few things in this world are as special as the nap! Sound a bit overboard, do I, friends and neighbors? Maybe, yes. But can anyone actually tell me that they wouldn't love to settle down for a nice nap during their day? What a luxury to have the time to stop everything and close your eyes and sleep!
I have valued naps more than most things since my high school days. My boarding school was a tough one. We were pushed from early morning until 11PM every night. Sleep was a prized commodity. So we slept at every chance we could get. 15 minutes? No problem. Lunch or nap? Nap, damn it. Bet your ass I'm going to grab some shut eye.
Then came college and naps became important for different reasons. Classes began as close to noon as possible, so getting up at the butt crack wasn't a factor. Rather, the hang over became the enemy. And the nap became the cure. A two hour nap could recharge the batteries for a repeat performance. And let's not forget about all the pot smoked. Nap after bong hits was a given. Duh!
But the working world was next, and the glorious naps became extinct. No sleeping on the job. Work, work, work. Do, do, do. Blah, blah, blah. You can bet your ass, though, that a nap would make an appearance during the weekends, though! That is, unless you work in the restaurant industry. Lately, I have taken a 2 hour nap every day for the past 5 or 6 months. I get up, do a few things, eat lunch, and then sleep until its time to get up and shower before work. And what an amazing thing to wake up refreshed from a nap and then head to work. Yes, one of the great perks to working in the restaurant biz and doing nothing else is that I can get 10-12 hours of sleep at night AND take a nap during the day. Now that's what I'm talking about!
There are nap rules. Not all agree with my nap rules, but they are important to me and must be obeyed. First and most importantly, you may NOT get under the covers! That is the ultimate no-no. Getting under the covers constitutes going to bed. And a nap is not going to bed. A nap is a glorious rest. A reprieve from the day. You are supposed to get under a blanket or throw, but NOT under the covers. You can't break the seal. The only other rule is that PJs really shouldn't be worn. You should be dressed, for the all the same reasons as why you can't get under the covers.
And I've saved the best naps for last. The naps that are far and away some of the most magical experiences we can have: naps with a loved one. With all the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, with all the bullshit and noise and grief, with all of the crap, isn't it a little piece of heaven to be able to curl up with someone you love and hold them tight and smell their hair and close your eyes and fall asleep with them. Snuggling, spooning, what have you. The whole point is to stop everything and curl up and sleep. Now that's special. That's one of the things I miss most about not having a girlfriend.
Ah, the glorious nap. I have iTunes playlists for them. I make time for them. I cherish them. It is one of our little miracles that we can just stop everything and close our eyes and dream. Ah, the glorious nap...........
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