Blessings: Naps (Day 11)
Verse to ponder: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11: 28-29
I work a lot. Mostly, I work around the sleep schedule of my two youngest. When they sleep, I work — it’s generally the only quiet time I get. Then, Miss Sassy Pants gets home, and although she’s relatively easy to “deal with,” she’s a distraction. So, I have to work quickly in the barely hour and a half that I have before she gets home from school.
Some nights, I’m able to squeeze in another few minutes during bath time because my husband is an amazing support system.
And then, I try to find another few minutes after everyone goes to bed so that I can finish up whatever small tasks need to be ready for the next day.
In the midst of all this work, I’m really sleepy. It’s rare that I have a chance to just sit and relax. My friends all say, “You’re pregnant! Take a nap!” It’s just not all that easy.
Two days ago, we had a true snow day. We played in almost 6″ and enjoyed our family time. When we came in, we were all exhausted. We all took glorious naps. I hadn’t intended to sleep more than 30 minutes or so. After all — it was still a work day for me (online teaching doesn’t really get time off!). But, my body kept me asleep for almost 2 hours.
It threw me off completely. Not only was I grumpier (go figure), but I’d lost 2 hours of work time that I’d normally have.
Today, though, since it was Saturday, I allowed myself a 30 minute snooze. I set the alarm on my phone and let myself rest. I actually feel pretty good.
I’m learning – slowly – that I must make time for me. Having never been pregnant with so many other kids before, my body doesn’t know what to do with all the demands I’m putting on it both mentally and physically. Naps are important for everyone. Sleep itself is important for everyone.
Do you get to take naps?
