I woke up this morning gliding down the runway in my sleigh bed. It was not a dream, but rather a sensation, with my legs fully stretched out under the seat in front of me and my neck at an odd angle. I was stuck in the middle of the row of the plane; the worst possible seat for sleeping.

 

Over the course of the three-and-a-half-hour flight from Portland to Chicago, I did get in several naps. I won’t call it sleep, since I was nowhere near comfortable, but I did feel rested when my feet finally hit the runway. It will be a day of naps, something I need to embrace more in retirement.

 

I have always resented naps because it was just one more time that you had to go through that miserable experience of waking up. I would feel disoriented, sticky, and in dire need of a comb and toothbrush. It would also require wasted time to go through that cumbersome process of getting ready again, just for the sake of a short siesta.

 

Anymore, I’m beginning to look at “the nap” in an entirely different light. Sometimes you can prepare for a nap, but often now it just happens. In my case it must be that I’m getting old. I also have plenty of time to take a nap whenever I want. They can be very refreshing, once you get through that brief period of disorientation, trying to regain your senses. I like the fact that I don’t have to get fully dressed again, and it’s a great way to bond with the dogs. They’re always up for a nap!

 

It’s usually my 66 year old bladder that wakes me up. In fact, am I really sleeping anymore? Or, has a good night’s sleep turned into a series of naps? Hours seem like minutes in my dreams, yet psychologically I just don’t feel right if I get in bed late and have to get up early. I now actually enjoy getting up, if I know I can go back to bed. Fortunately, I’m not one of those early risers that can’t get back to sleep. I’m always ready to slip between the sheets and hug a pillow.

 

As I write this, I’m beginning to realize that “getting up” has always meant exercising, brushing, shaving, showering, dressing, and driving. These are the hassles of life that always come after a night of sleep, and are not things I necessarily look forward to doing. However, in retirement, I can now “get up” knowing that I can always take a nap.