naps

I love the weekend for the same reason I love the summer. I love naps. Naps are the ultimate in rebelliousness and (as Anne Lamott) says, radical self-care. It says, yes, there are clothes to be laundered and dishes to be washed, but I'm actively choosing not to do those things. It says, this time napping with my son(s) is good for me and for our relationship and I'll subordinate other things for this time.I probably could have done one load of dishes and taken care of a basket of clothes in the time I napped, but then there would still be dishes and clothes to be done, and so the nap is so much more important. Stepping out of time and responsibility is so luxurious and satisfying. It's holy time to listen to your quiet inner self and to open that rough clam-shell heart to tenderness and care, letting it feed again on the nutrients of cuddly baby-breath and a fan's white noise, a shade-darkened bedroom in the middle of the day and doing something for myself when I usually do things for other people. Naps declare that doing nothing can be more important than doing something. That's a difficult concept in our totally connected society - that just as there's a choice of what to do, there's also a choice of whether to do. It's not being lazy; it's self-preservation and connecting to the divine in the day, myself, and others.

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