Afternoon Delight

I hated them as a kid, but love them as an adult.  No, I'm not talking Brussel Sprouts, but that would be true also.  I'm talking naps.  A good old fashioned nap.

I remember Mom putting us down for a nap in the afternoon and we'd kick and scream the whole way. I was always afraid I'd miss something.  Or maybe I was so hyped up on sugar that I couldn't sit down.  Now, about forty years later, I live for an afternoon nap.

I really became re-acquainted for the afternoon delight when I was unemployed a few years ago.  Every afternoon around 3 p.m. I'd slip into bed (with two dogs joining me), close my eyes, and forget that I was unemployed and any other cares I might have. I'd drift off to dreamland for just a short visit.  Man, I missed that time when I went back to work.

The really great thing about a nap is that it refreshes you both mentally and physically.  It's a break in the middle of the day that many of us need.  For such an "advanced" nation such as ours, we really missed the boat on downtime. 

We all know that Spain and many Latin American countries celebrate the siesta every afternoon between 2 and 5 p.m.., but did you know that other countries also encourage slipping away into the sheets.  Afternoon sleep is also a common practice in Albania, Azores, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Malta, Mauritania, Montenegro, North Africa, Pakistan, the Philippines, Serbia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Imagine how much more peaceful the world would be if we'd all just take a nap.  I'm going to do my part right now.