Cooperative Living September 2014 - 42

RURAL LIVING by Margo Oxendine, Contributing Columnist
the dawn! " Can't count the number
of days I ushered in without
having been to bed.
Now, I see dawn on most mornings.
It's because I have gone to
bed at 9 o'clock, and am up and at
'em by 5:30. Now, I actually find
myself, during summer, wishing it
would hurry up and get dark so I
can go to bed.
THE
POWER
OF THE
NAP
A
long with August, the hottest
of the heat is gone. Sure, there
will still be days someone like
I might think are way too warm. Yet,
the nights will be getting cooler.
And, as they say, that makes for
" good sleeping weather. "
Ah, sleep. I love it! I'm discovering,
though, that as we age, sleep becomes
more of a challenge than it once was.
Remember our teen and college
years? Were we ever allowed to sleep
as long as we wished? No chance.
There were classes and chores and
later, a job we had to show up for. In
my early 20s, I can't count the number
of days I just chucked getting up
and going to work. That may be why
none of my early jobs amounted to
much, other than a couple stern talking-tos
before I was fired. No matter.
Waitressing and bartending and office
typist jobs were easy to come by. And
even easier to leave behind.
Remember staying up half the
night, or longer? I recall one of my
favorite youthful mottos: " Hold back
40
Remember waking up, taking a
bleary look around, and going
right back to sleep for a few hours?
Nowadays, once my eyes are open,
they ain't closing again. I've convinced
myself I am happy to hobble
out of bed at 5:30 or 6 so I can
get a " jump " on the day. I love
working in the earliest of hours.
The phone does not
ring.
Of course, by 2
o'clock or so, I am
ready for just one
thing: A nap. Gee,
how I adore naps.
They are one of
modern man's best
inventions.
Remember being
These days, I find myself thinking,
when I crawl out of bed before
the crack of dawn, " That's okay; I
can always take a nap later. " And on
those days when a nap is not in the
schedule, I feel out of sorts and " put
upon " somehow.
One key to a delightful nap in
the mid-afternoon is this: Turn off
the ringer on the phone. Because,
even if the phone has not rung once
all day, someone will undoubtedly
decide to call you while you're napping.
forced
to " go down
for a nap " when
you were a kid? We
hated naps! They
interrupted play
time. I would
always grump into
my room and
mumble, " You may
make me come in
here, but you can't
make me go to sleep! "
Now, dropping off to sleep in
the middle of the day is one of my
favorite pastimes. I look forward to
my naps. I've even developed a
routine: Sit in chair. Read book.
Nod off into a deep, delicious
sleep. Wake myself up snoring.
Eat a little candy.
Yes, I know that is one habit
that comes from childhood. As
soon as we got up from our naps,
a nice little snack was waiting. I
hated the naps, but loved the
snacks.
I recall
one of my
favorite
youthful
mottos:
Then, your choices are these:
Quickly mute the ringer and go
back to sleep if you can. Or, answer
and sound a bit groggy, wherein the
bright-voiced caller has the gall to
say, " Oh, did I wake
you? " Of course, you
must answer no.
Heaven forbid people
should know that you
take a nap almost
every day.
" Hold back
the dawn! "
Another thing I
find kind of funny is
when someone calls
at 10:30 in the morning
and says, " I didn't
wake you up, did I? "
Not at my age, you
didn't! And what
business is it of yours,
anyway?
I think the folks in
Latin countries have
the right idea: the
siesta. Everything
stops after a long, lavish
lunch, and everyone
takes a snooze. Shops are closed.
Phones go unanswered. The hottest
heat of the day passes them by as
they snore under sombreros. Then
they get up, probably have a little
tostida, and commence to engage in
commerce. After that, they can
tango half the night away.
If you will excuse me, it is 2:30.
My napping chair calls. As soon as I
mute the ringer on the phone. 
To order Margo Oxendine's A Party of One,
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Cooperative Living/September 2014
Cooperative Living September 2014

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