The Joy of the Afternoon Nap

  We all had them when we were kids; come early to mid afternoon and it was time to lay down and close our eyes for awhile.  Lot's of us, at that age, were full of energy and excitement and didn't want to slow down for a second.  Now, several years later, I truly love the value and pleasure of the afternoon slumber.

Doesn't it Look Nice?

  I'm not one for getting much sleep; whether it be work, school, friends, bars, or anything else keeping me up, I don't tend to get much more than four or five hours a night.  While I manage on that when I am busy, when I have nothing else to do I tend to retreat to the comfort of my bed for a mid to late afternoon nap.  Just to snuggle in under the covers, the room dark and cool, and close my eyes for a hour or two is pure bliss.  There's little I like more than sleeping, I just don't have much time for it these days, nor do I tend to get tired at night.
  So when the opportunity presents itself to get some shut-eye for a few minutes, I jump at it.  Of course, that's not always possible.  With school starting in September, and working part time as well, I will scarcely have time to sit down, let alone take a nap.  That's disappointing, for I really do love them.  They're even better when it's warm out; I can then go down to the beach, stretch out on a bench and say goodnight to the world for a little bit.  The cool ocean breeze flows over my body, the sound of the waves lapping against the shore fills my ears; it is truly a peaceful and relaxing time.
   There's something different in having a nap compared to going to bed for the night.  The fact that you don't care when you get up maybe, or perhaps being out of your house to sleep in the fresh air, or simply the warm sun shinning down on your body; maybe all of those combined.  Whatever it is, the nap is special; a time to let go of all your worries, and just drift away for a few hours.
  With the habit we tend to get into as we get older of trying to jam pack as many things in a day as we can, it's often easy to forget the simple pleasures a simple thing like a nap can give us; that's not even to mention the health benefits it can have.  Yes, the nap is truly something that becomes more rare and treasured as we get older; that is until we get into our golden years, then it's all naps and sun!