When I compare notes with friends about what books we’re each reading, I sometimes remark that having lots of time to read is the second-best thing about being retired. The first time I said that, I was sure the other person would ask, “So what’s the best thing?” But they didn’t, and in all the times I’ve said it since, no one ever has. Nonetheless, I’m quick to volunteer the answer: naps.
When I was younger I was forever getting sleepy at some point during the work day. Napping was usually not an option, but there were times when I got so irresistibly somnolent that I pulled out a roll of paper towels to use as a pillow, lay down under my desk, and slept.
At some point I concluded that I just must not be getting enough sleep, so I resolved to start going to bed early enough that I would naturally wake up well before I needed to. Once I started doing that, I no longer needed an alarm unless I had to get up unusually early, and I no longer needed to sneak in a nap in the afternoon.
I still don’t set an alarm, but like many people as they get older, I don’t always sleep through the night these days. Sometimes I wake up well before I want to and can’t get back to sleep, and other times I wake up in the middle of the night and lie awake for an hour or two. That would have been distressing when I knew I was going to need to work all day, but it isn’t now that I’m retired. When I find myself getting sleepy during the day — either because I haven’t gotten a full night’s sleep or for no apparent reason at all — I lie down (with a down pillow under my head rather than a roll of paper towels), put my phone on Do Not Disturb for an hour, and close my eyes.
Sometimes I fall asleep almost immediately. Other times I don’t sleep right away, but that’s O.K.; I just “rest my eyes.” And I usually doze off at some point.
I typically wake up after 45 minutes or an hour. Within a few minutes of opening my eyes I’m fully awake and refreshed. It’s pure bliss.
Paul, this is a little gem!!! My experiences, past and present, exactly. So good when we find out we are Not The Only Ones.
There I go, using exclamation points, my writer-editor daughter chides me constantly. “You must Not!”
I firmly believe that exclamation points have their place. They’re especially fitting in interpersonal communication like this. (I’m also a big fan of semi-colons and dashes, which appear to have fallen out of fashion.)
I don’t nap, but maybe I should. I fall asleep easily and get up very early. I love the early morning, especially outside, when the earth is calm and cooler. Occasionally, I wake up in the middle of the night, but not so much lately. Two words for you Paul. Sleepytime tea (and one cookie – that’s 5 words).
I love naps! I’m not quite retired yet, but working for myself affords me flexibility that others don’t have. I sometimes walk from my office to my bedroom (the room next door) and lie down for a bit. It is, as you say, pure bliss.