Time for a Nap

I think you call this a “catnap.”

Time Out

I’ve come to believe in naps. Use to be, I was unable to take a mid-day snooze, even if I wanted. But that has changed. It’s not that I schedule a pause in my day, it just occurs. I don’t remove my shoes, grab a pillow, or even take off my reading glasses.

While blogging, sleep will sometimes come over me in the middle of a sentence. (Hmm. . . I do hope that doesn’t happen to those reading my posts.) Fortunately, I’ve been blessed with the ability to sleep well where ever I am: bed, chair, airplane, car—though I draw a line at sleeping bags.

Thomas Edison in sweet repose under a tree. (I’d sure hate to be the one having to get the grass stains out of that suit.)

Sleeping on the Job: A Good Thing

If you’re inclined to napping, you’re in good company. Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, Napoleon, Stonewall Jackson, Salvador Dali, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Albert Einstein all felt an afternoon siesta made for greater creativity and insight.

Catnaps: An Art Form

There are numerous photos of Edison in repose: on a cot, outdoors on the grass, in a chair, even atop his workbench. The inventor held a ball bearing in each hand and when those dropped to the floor, he knew it was time to get up. Because of the brevity of his slumber, Edison returned to work without being groggy. He called his catnaps “a dip into oblivion.”

The Power Nap

Since I doze most often at the computer, I sometimes drop a pencil or my cell phone. But more often I’m awakened by the crick in my neck, that comes from dozing awkwardly in a chair. A small price for mental and physical empowerment.