Happy

I love to nap.

I’ve confessed my love of popcorn. My love of “marathoning.” Now I’m confessing my love of napping.

The older I get, the sweeter that time seems to be. I’ve come to highly value the snooze.

Naps of any length. Naps when it’s quiet. Naps when it’s noisy.

Planned napping.  Emergency napping.

Dozing. Snoozing. Catnapping. Catching forty winks. Getting some shut-eye. Grabbing a few Zs.

Each one. How utterly wonderful.

I’m from a family of nappers. My Dad being King of the Nappers. The first Thanksgiving my husband spent with my family, he was in awe that every one of us found some furniture, some space, to curl up or stretch out and drift into napland. A Kehoe talent. To be sure.

But studies indicate that napping is good for us. And I’m a strong believer in doing what’s good.

Napping, therefore, is not a sign of weakness, nor is it a slothful waste of resources. Naps are not just good for babies. They’re good for everyone.

A well-timed nap can boost cognitive function, improve work output, and make us healthier, happier, and all around better people. An admirable goal. My goal.

I have experience in all kinds of napping:

Couch napping – No doubt, the favored nap location for most. This naptime is best when stretched out and snuggling with a blankie or afghan or quilt. The softer the better. Better yet, with a cover warm from the dryer. Or best yet, with someone’s at the end of the couch massaging your feet.

Chair napping – The best chairs for napping are cushy, not straight-back. The Laz-E-Boy, stretched out with footrest up, is almost couch-like and offers a premier napping position. But my napping skills are now so advanced that I can konk out sitting, just sitting in a chair, with no need for feet elevation.

Bed napping – Crawling into bed under the covers to nap happens mostly when I’m a sickie. Otherwise, it’s too much like bedtime, not naptime. Bed naps are looong naps. Hours looong.

Desk napping – These naps were a common occurrence during my college years. Those long all-nighters of studying/writing papers, leading to exhaustion and just-let-me-lay-my-head-down for a few minutes. The major issue with desk napping, however, is the drooling. Waking up in that little puddle. With papers stuck to your cheek.

Floor napping – One of the best memories of floor naps was when I was a four year old. We lived in a house with no air-conditioning and on those scorching summer afternoons, my brothers and I would grab our pillows, line up next to Dad on the living room floor, and sort-of nap.

Chaise lounge napping – Oh, those outdoor naps. Those basking in the summer sun naps. Optimal location: poolside.

Car napping – Caution: should be attempted only as a passenger. Obviously. Ditto for plane napping and all travel-related napping.

Pew napping – These naps –really, I-was-just-praying – are not recommended for longer than 30 seconds.

Movie-seat napping – see above.

Hammock napping – I know folks can accomplish this feat, but I have serious getting-in-and-out issues with these contraptions. I only performed this nap feat once.

Blanket-on-grass napping – My least least naptime option. My preferred avoidance of all things buggy and creepy crawly.

Naps deserve a place in our lives — they definitely do.

Now, all this has made me tired. Time for a nap.

Hahaha. Let’s go for it. 🙂