Nap Time Adventure

A nap is possibly the greatest adventure a young (or old) person can take in any one day. So much can take place over the course of one nap. Let us start with the first of these: you may fall asleep. This may not sound as though it is all that big of an adventure, but looked at from the right perspective, there are numerous possibilities for excitement and stimulation, of the sleepy variety. First of all, you will probably assume a position of rest, whatever that may mean to you. Many lay down, but there are some who prefer sitting, child's pose, fetal position; it is really up to you to decide where you will find the most rest and adventure. And so, you lay your head down, adjusting the pillow, sweatshirt, blanket, cardboard box, or whatever you may be using to cushion your head and fall to sleep, and so the adventure begins (for real, because you might try to consider the finding of a pillow and comfortable position to be a part of the adventure, but they are not). I find myself in an in between place, in between sleep and awake, in a dream land where things become quite surreal and I'm not sure what is reality and what is dream. This makes for great excitement as I can hear everything that goes on, but nobody knows I can hear everything that goes on and I'm not even sure I really can hear what goes on. In this phase, there is the added adventure of being awoken and then falling back to sleep... 12 different times. Perhaps not a pleasant part of the adventure, but just think it is as getting snowed in on a camping trip.

The next big adventure that can take place is that the sun may very well set, as the sun has a habit of doing. This is very likely to happen during the winter months, when the sun sets so early. I caution you to be very wary of this for it can be unnerving, even terrifying. Let me see if I can make you understand. You go to bed innocently while the sun is yet up. Perhaps it is an impromptu nap, or perhaps it is part of your regularly scheduled day. Regardless, it could happen to you. After all the afore mentioned steps of preparation, you are now asleep, enjoying or being disturbed by some dream or other (apparently you always dream, you just don't always remember). When you awaken to find that the day has grown dark, there are a plethora of common reactions. Perhaps, you think, I slept into the night and should just go back to sleep. Or perhaps it is actually only 5:30p and you must instantly jump up off the couch, chair, floor, counter to rush to get ready for your 5:45p class. Then your thoughts may grow more intense. Perhaps the sun burned out, or you have been blinded. This is usually when the feelings of panic start to initiate irrational actions, like taking a shower at 2am, thinking it is 2p, because you must get ready for class at 5p. Other actions may include tearing your clothes off and running outside to offer up the sacrifice of a moonlit naked dance to make the sun come back on. Of course, I have never done anything so irrational, but there are people likely to react in just such a fashion.

Finally, there is the dream portion of the adventure you are thrown into during this daytime rest. I don't know about you, but the dreams I have during the day are ultimately more random and perturbing than those that occur at night. There is an odd quality to these, usually, in my case, something motivated by haunted dance halls and creepy dance professors. Also, they are quite often influenced and motivated by the pain in my body, brought on by 5 hours of dance and laying in awkward positions on the couch. This is not a part of the adventure I can describe to you, but one you must experience on your own, and so it is at this point that I will set you free to experiment with your own dreamland.

And so you see, there is no end to the excitement that can take place during a day time nap, and I wish that I had realized it a younger age. But because I have realized it at this point in my life, and realized it rather acutely over the last few years, I intend to take advantage of this easily accessible adventure as often as possible.