Guilty pleasure #1

Babies nap, elderly nap, but something happens in between, and some people lose the skill of napping when they are in their adults years. I think that losing napping-ability is a result of societal pressure in the modern world: in many countries napping is not an adult-like behaviour, and you should be ashamed of it. Napping is linked to laziness, and a napper is therefore lazy. I strongly disagree, and to my delight, so do researchers. Several researchs have proven that napping has many benefits, such as refreshing the mind, improving overall alertness, boosting mood and increasing productivity. A midday nap reverses information overload, and in some cases, a 1-hour nap could even boost performance to an individual's top levels. Napping may even benefit the heart. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nap

I love napping. On the weekends, my goal is to have at least one nap. Ideally I would have one nap everyday of the weekend, including Friday evening after work. Napping makes the weekends longer, because it divides the day in two, and gives you a fresh start. So instead of two days, you'll have a four day weekend. Without using any of your vacation days.

My napping is a joke to my friends. Years ago I was warned that I will no longer be invited to parties, if I take a nap at the party (I wake up early and go to bed early, so parties beyond 10 pm are sometimes challenging). My godson, 9 years old, thinks that I'm always either in the sauna, or napping. My napping hobby is so serious, that instead of collecting baseball cards or vinyl LPs, I collect nap memories. Here's a list of my top 5 favourite naps:

5) 1998, naps outside in February, in -5c or so. I was supposed to study for my high school exams, but I always ended up having a little nap. All I needed was a sleeping bag, cat on my lap, cozy chair and sunshine. I did very well in my exams.

4) 2008, two naps before noon on Sunday. I woke up really early as usual, read the newspaper and drank a litre of tea. By 9 am it felt like a naptime, so I had a little 30 min nap. I got up, cleaned the house and went for a walk. By noon I felt like another nap is needed, so I made it happen. How perfect is a Sunday like that?

3) 2006, first nap in my new boyfriend's car. I have almost an instant reaction to sitting in a car; I fall asleep. I think it is a muscle memory from my childhood: our grandparents lived 3 hours away, and the fastest way to get there was to sleep most of the trip. Now, in 2006, it was the first week of dating, and we had gone for an evening swim outside of Ottawa. The ride back took only 30 min, but at some point I just couldn't resist of closing my eyes and falling asleep. When I woke up, I was thinking that he must be a good man, since I can feel so secure, comfortable and myself with him. 2 years later we got married.

2) 2012, nap in Ottawa's botanical garden. It was my birthday weekend, and my husband and I had biked some 20 km that day around the beautiful, sunny, spring Ottawa. When we reached the botanical garden, I heard the nap calling - the day was so perfect for it. Crab apple trees were blooming in purple, pink and white flowers, sky was blue, and fresh green grass was soft and alluring. My husband went to take photos of the nature, I laid down under a tree and had a nap. The best birthday gift ever!

1) The latest nap, wherever it took place, and however long or short is was. My latest nap was today, on the early evening of Halloween. Almost two hour long nap at home, and it filled me with energy: I vacuumed, wrote this post, and will soon make an apple pie and pad thai. Delicious nap results!

If you love napping, do not feel ashamed of it anymore. Be proud of yourself, because not everyone is able to nap. Think about the health benefits, and the productivity you gain by having a nap. Consider it as a precious skill; embrace it and use it.

Happy napping!