All I really want is a little peace and quiet. Is that too much to ask? I really don't ask for much. It's the little things I look forward to.
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| Naps are precious |
On the bus or train ride home. I look forward to it every day. That twenty minutes of peace. No blackberry. No cell phone. No iPad.
No commitments from work, family, or otherwise. Just twenty minutes of peace and semi-quiet.
A rare opportunity to close my eyes and wander off before my focus shifts from work demands to family demands.
Twenty minutes. It's all I ask for. This is my only chance. I even time it perfectly from the moment we exit the Lincoln Tunnel to the moment we make the turn off our exit.
Everywhere else I'm rushed. Even at the gym. Even in the bathroom.
One day recently I boarded the bus home and looked for an empty row of seats that would give me the option of stretching out if no one else sat with me. I kept walking to the back and finally spotted an empty one in the next to last row.
Then I saw who was sitting in the last row... a mother and her young child. A child younger than my daughter. Noisy and messy and annoying.
Totally admitting to myself that I am a hypocrite, I turned around, and headed back towards the front of the bus. Out of ear shot of this woman and her pestering progeny. I would expect anyone else do to the same thing if me and my daughter were on the bus together and all they wanted was a short nap.
Just the day before, another mom and her pre-teen daughter shattered any chance I would have at quiet time. They were seated in the row directly across from me. They played word association games the whole time. Torture. When they had explored all avenues of this thrilling vocabulary exercise, they tightened the vice another half turn, moving on to something they called "would you rather." Here, they each came up with two unfortunate circumstances and challenged the other to choose which one they would do or have happen to them.
For example, would I rather ride the bus sitting next to this pair or be locked in a room with nothing but Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy" playing on endless repeat?
Cue the McFerrin.
My nap time is precious. It's rare. It's my only me time. Don't mess with it please.
I, fortunately, don't have that problem. I grew up in a family of 6 kids so I can tune conversations and chaos out and go right to sleep. It's one of the few talents I have.
ReplyDeleteWhat about investing in some ear plugs? Because messing with someone's sleep is just.not.cool.
I SO know where you're coming from. I've developed the ability to fall asleep anywhere when the conditions allow it. I swear, I think I can go from zero to REM in 2.6 seconds. It's the only way to survive.
ReplyDeleteI've not been able to rationalize purchasing blinds for my office, otherwise I'd have a good 8 hours a day to catch up on my sleep.
All I can say is hang in there. You're not alone.
Thanks for the good read!
Oh man, do I love naps. I almost never get them, though. I've gotten pretty good at falling asleep in under 3 minutes, much to the dismay of my female counterpart. Would earplugs help? Or would you miss your stop? And what have you got against Bobby McFerrin? Nice alliteration, BTW.
ReplyDeleteWorst. Song. Ever. I'll take the annoying word games.
ReplyDelete