How I Learned to Nap
Everything I needed to know, I learned at summer camp
Proud to introduce today’s contributor: Henrietta’s dad, The President, our favorite napping septuagenarian! Long time/first time, definitely not last time!
When I was sixteen years old, I was a waiter in a summer camp. Unlike today’s world, the waiters were all boys and we served all the meals. That meant we had to get up very early to prepare the dining room for the campers. As teens, we also took advantage of staying up late. That wreaked havoc on our sleep.
There is a limit on the ability of even teenagers to function on little sleep. The result? I learned how to close my eyes almost anywhere and catch one or more naps a day. And that has served me well over the years as I have aged into the need for every day naps even if I don’t get up as early or stay up as late as I did 57 years ago.
Now I can close my eyes and doze off almost on demand. On the train, on the bus, on the plane. At my desk, on the couch, on the lounge chair. A favorite place to nod off is at the Philharmonic. There I can join hundreds of my fellow nappers as the orchestra performs so beautifully.
There are two places I don’t nap during the day. When I go skiing and when I play golf. On those occasions I wait til I get home!