Home - Day 6 - The Afternoon Nap

I wonder what it is about taking a nap that seems so satisfying. I have been a napper my entire life: as a child I took naps because I had to; as a teenager I took naps because adolescence seemed to require an inordinate amount of sleep; and, as an adult I take naps just because. A quick (45 min) on a Sunday afternoon with a little music in the background, maybe a fire in the fireplace and a little blanket--pure luxury.

The routine for my current recovery days is well set. I get up early (probably because I go to bed early). I read, work on the blog or just putter with the computer. At about 9am we have breakfast. I then take my variety of medication and my mom and I go through the exercise routine provided by the OHI. I take a shower, shave every second day, get dressed and my mom and I head out for the morning walk. When we get back from the walk we putter until lunch and then eat lunch (usually a turkey sandwich). After lunch, we play a little game of cribbage. The afternoon consists of some little project (like consolidating the remotes or figuring out my shelving design for the basement), an afternoon walk and a maybe a movie. Then, its dinner, another game of crib and a movie or some more of a little project. Bed time comes early and sleep is welcome.

Today my mom and I deviated a bit. After lunch and the game of crib we both sat down to reading a bit. My mom was first to go. She slowly set her book down, grabbed a blanket and curled up. 2 minutes later I could here that comfortable breathing that is synonymous with someone sleeping. I took a different approach. I put on my headphones, selected a long playlist of instrumental guitar from the iPod and stretched out. About an hour later we both woke feeling very satisfied with our collective nap. What a great feeling to just drift away and wake up when it's the right time to wake.

The exercises and walks are going well. I felt a little winded today on the morning walk, but I think it had more to do with the temperature of the air than the pace or distance.