A Mother’s Long Winter Nap
Moms need naps, too!
On the last day of the year 2011, I retreated to my room for a nap. I figured I’d be resting for 45 minutes or maybe an hour, tops. Not quite. I went down for the count! That bit of a lie down turned out to be six hours of snooze time.
I am not much of a napper; sleeping during the day always seems a bit odd to me. But I will happily lie down and read or look through magazines for a good long while which is what I normally do when I tell the boys I am taking a nap. But that afternoon I fell, and stayed, asleep.
I got my flu shot a few months ago, so I’m not coming down with anything. I felt great all that morning, heading to the beach to walk in the warm sunshine and did the normal chores when I got home. But for some reason I went to have a lie down for a bit and just dropped off.
I attribute it now to all the sleep I missed out on over the past year! I may not have missed as much sleep this past year as I had when the kids were much younger, but I have missed some. And I think the usual grind of work and running errands afterwards can wear a mother down imperceptibly. Throw in some cold weather snaps and weeks of holiday hustling – no wonder I took to my bed.
But mothering, or parenting, is exhausting at any stage. Wonderful and exhilarating but it still demands strength and fortitude. I’m thankful I made it through another year. I’m feeling refreshed and ready for the start of a new one!
How do you stay refreshed and ready to tackle being a parent?
