As necessary as naps are these days, I am annoyed that I am losing so much time to sleep. The desire to be productive is strong, but the flesh is weak.
The process of getting ready to leave the house this morning knocked me out. Considering standing up to put on my shoes had me in tears, and Chris suggested I stay home to rest (instead of going to a young friend's first birthday party). I wanted to go but could not drag myself out the door. I knew that the problem would be keeping myself from "doing" while home resting. Chris sternly reminded me that resting and not getting things done was exactly what I should be doing.
Instead of getting things done, I engaged in my second favorite past-time: list-making. Even though making lists highlights all the things that remain undone, I find it soothing to organize the work. It helps me feel I am not forgetting anything, and that once ordered the tasks can be tackled somehow. Priorities can be assigned. List-making is practically action, or at least its necessary precursor.
As busy as a 3.5 year old can be, I think I can take a lesson from Ada and her friends. Ada loves to play pretend sleep. Yesterday she and Lila spent a long time making nest-like beds on the floor, arranging blankets, books and toys, and then pretending to go to sleep and wake up. I do not understand why this particular aspect of daily life is so fascinating to them, but maybe I can use it to remind myself that a little extra (real or pretend) sleep might be a good thing for me too.
Posts
We're sorry you couldn't come, and we missed you, but we totally understood why you could not be here.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if you wrote 'Take a nap' on your to-do list, then it wouldn't seem like you were being unproductive -- because post-nap, you could cross it off.
I like list making, but even more, I like crossing things OFF the list.
Hang in there, and please let us know if we can help. Want to drop Ada off some Friday in the near future?
I totally could have written this post. I hate napping, but it's almost necessary at this point. Also my daughter likes to pretend sleep, in our beds, with us. Only she hogs the covers.
ReplyDeleteDo you really hate naps? How is that even possible? Naps are, like, my favorite thing in the world after, say, a lemon tartlette from that one bakery in Paris.
ReplyDeleteGo easy on yourself, Nora.
Resting, via a nap, is getting something vital done. Just because you aren't conscious doesn't mean you didn't do anything. Go easy on yourself,
ReplyDeletemichael
p.s. Was that a triple negative?
I hear this loud and clear. I have to be close to going postal to actually lie down and nap. Because there are only 90 minutes of me-time in a day. Am I going to spend that time sleeping? NO I AM NOT.
ReplyDeleteMy husband talked to me like I was one of the children the other day. "Just put your head down..if you sleep you sleep..." and I rose to the bait of wanting to be more reasonable than a toddler.