I love a good nap.
Honestly, I get really excited when I think about the prospect of curling up on my couch with a warm blanket and a cozy pillow, with nothing on the horizon but a long sleep and sweet dreams.
I so rarely have time for naps when I'm at school, and I'm thankful for that. I don't want to sleep away what little free time I have. Plus, when I work out regularly, eat well, and drink adequate water, I don't need naps to energize me!
While I've been home over this holiday break (which ends today, as I travel back to school), I've taken a fair number of naps. Some were premeditated -- I'd crawl back in bed after church and set an alarm for 5:00 p.m., and then wake up feeling groggy and "grumpass," as is the expression in our family. Sometimes I'd feel drowsy unexpectedly during a "CSI: NY" or "Jersey Shore" marathon, and I'd awaken to Caroline or Ian reporting, "You were snoring!" You know, 'cause that's not awkward.
Studies have clinically proven that naps can be beneficial (sorry, I don't have any hard-and-fast stats for you). My dad, who is very active and who I jokingly say refers to napping as "the devil's activity," pointed out something really insightful to Caroline and me a few weeks ago. As we emerged from the basement after another movie-slash-nap, he pointed out that as wonderful as the idea of a nap might sound at the time, the number of things we could have been doing and the amount of time we spent napping may turn into regret later. He reminded us that time seems unlimited now, while we're on the uphill climb of the slope. I brushed it off at the time, but I've been marinating on his words for a few days.
"Must they torture me like this while I'm trying to sleep?"
I'm 23. I don't want to look back on my life when I'm Dad's age and wonder, What could I have accomplished if I weren't so concerned with napping and sleeping in? Why did I waste so much time and energy trying to find/make time to sleep, of all things? I want to remember all of the things I did, as opposed to all of the memories I didn't make because I was busy napping.
I can't hate on naps, though. I still love a good power-nap, or a nice, long one on a rainy day! There's also that late afternoon "frat nap" that so many fellow Greeks may remember. No matter the day or the variety of nap, I'm aiming to focus on the doing rather than focusing my creative energies on resting. Ta ta!
P.S. Do you love a good nap? Do you think naps are a waste of time? Is there a particular time of day or type of weather that really makes you ache for a good nap?
2 comments:
I love how Logan Greenway made the blog. And I really like your dad's thoughts about "wasting time." But I get to thinking, what is truly considered "wasted time?" Sure when I play video games, watch TV, or take a nap, the professional world will think that I wasted time. But I do think we all need that escape. If we strive every single second of our lives doing something productive and not taking a step back so that our minds can "vegetate," we can reach burnout really fast. An active lifestyle is great, but we also need to sit back and reflect on our surroundings--the world can just as easily pass you by when you are being productive as it can when you are napping.
I would agree that without SOME time to "vegetate," anyone can burn out. After I reread my post, I'm not sure I made my point clear: I've spent a lot of time recently ensuring that I'll be able to sleep in and that time for naps is built into my day. WHY? The answer seems to be, Just because. That isn't valid for me anymore. I'm accepting a personal challenge to do something about it :) Thanks for weighing in!
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