Ode to a Nap by Monique Y. Wells

Monique Y. Wells

Ode to a Nap

I never used to take naps.

Naps were for lazy people.

Naps were for wimps who weren’t up to the challenges of the day.

Naps were for people who were less than physically fit.

Naps weren’t for me.

Not for years.

Then, something happened.

Or rather, two somethings…

The progression of life

(otherwise known as aging)

and

an explosion of “things to do” that began to keep me up well into the night.

I’m a morning person,

so staying up until the wee hours of the morning

for weeks on end

didn’t sit well with me.

And “sleeping in”

(‘til 8 AM – which, for me, would be like sleeping until early afternoon for others I know)

wasn’t cutting it anymore with regard to getting the rest I needed.

Suddenly I realized what naps are for

and I started to take them.

Begrudgingly at first…

then willingly and with pleasure!

I started with one-hour snoozes.

They worked well for a while.

But as work heated up, one hour didn’t cut it anymore.

After a particularly successful, yet exhausting trip to the States,

I took a two-hour nap.

Delicious!

But still not enough!

After several days of slowly rebuilding my energy reserves,

I finally got the break I needed…

A day when all I had to worry about was me.

The mental and physical relief was so great that

I took a THREE-HOUR nap!

And I’ve never looked back.

Now, I am an unabashed nap taker.

I even put naps on my to-do list when I feel myself getting run down,

as a reminder that they’re okay

and as “official permission” to take them.

I’ll never “diss” a nap – or a napper – again!

About the Author:  Monique Y. Wells is a native Houstonian and 22-year resident of Paris, France.  She is a long time “corporate escapee” who has three entrepreneurial businesses in preclinical safety consulting, travel planning for Paris, and productivity mentoring and training. She is also president of a French non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and promote the legacy of artist Beauford Delaney.  Thanks to her businesses, she’s living her dream life in Paris!