One of my favorite pastimes as I get older is the post-lunch siesta I take almost every day. Truth be told, I’ve been doing this since my early thirties. Back then, a quick 15- or 20-minute power nap could work wonders. These days, in my early fifties, those naps have a tendency to stretch a little longer. Usually an hour or two at most.
Yesterday, though, was an exception.
At around 1:15 p.m., I decided to lie down for what I assumed would be my usual “disco nap.” I closed my eyes fully expecting to wake up refreshed, recharged, and ready to tackle a few chores before dinner.
Instead, I woke up at 7am this morning. Foggy and groggy.
Not 7pm. 7am.
Somewhere along the way, my body apparently decided that the chores could wait. As could dinner, television, email, and my nightly doomscrolling session. It simply pulled the plug on the entire operation and sent me offline for the rest of the day.
Needless to say, I woke up feeling more than a little dazed and confused. I actually had to check the clock twice to make sure I hadn’t somehow slept through an entire day and wandered into an alternate timeline.
The weirdest part is that I don’t feel sleep-deprived. Sure, I’m still recovering from being sick last week and trying to get back to normal, but sixteen-plus hours of sleep feels a bit excessive. That’s not a nap. That’s a coma.
The experience left me with two questions.
What the actual hell?
If my body requires that much sleep, what is it trying to tell me?
Maybe I’ve been pushing harder than I realized. Maybe my immune system is still doing some behind-the-scenes repair work. Or maybe my body simply staged a hostile takeover after years of me insisting that caffeine could solve every problem.
Whatever the explanation, I’m choosing to view it as a reminder that our bodies often know what they need better than we do. Apparently, mine decided it needed to power down completely and install several operating system updates overnight.
Still, I’d appreciate a little warning next time.
A sticky note, perhaps. An email. Or even a pop-up notification.
“Dear Human: We will be shutting down for scheduled maintenance at 1:15 p.m. Please save your work, cancel your plans, and stop pretending you’re going to fold that laundry today.”
Keep calm and stay rested!
Clint 🌈✌️
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ends 06-30-26
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