Today I’m grateful for a really, really, really good nap.

11.3.2023

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Sometime during my tween years, I attended a sleepover birthday party for my friend and neighbor, Emily. Emily was a good friend of mine, and I had a lot of fun at the party … until about 1:00 a.m. By 1 a.m. I was tired. Really tired. And I became extremely irritated by the dozen other girls, talking and giggling in their sleeping bags sprawled out on the floor in Emily’s basement TV room. By 1:15 a.m. I was doing everything in my power to remain calm and not embarrass myself by screaming “Be quiet!!! I want to sleep!” By 1:30 a.m. I began to contemplate my escape – scheming how I could sneak out of the party, walk across the street, quietly enter my house without waking anyone up, and sleep in my own comfortable bed.

I didn’t end up screaming, and I didn’t end up leaving, but I also didn’t end up sleeping. It was my first all-nighter, and it was painful. I’d never been so tired in my short little life.

From that point on, Emily’s sleepover party became the official barometer by which I gauged all future levels of tiredness. I’d come home from a busy day at school declaring how tired I was, and my mom would jokingly ask me, “Are you as tired as you were at Emily’s birthday party?” I’d stay up late studying for a chemistry test in high school and be dragging the following morning. On the way to school I’d declare how tired I was, but I’d qualify it with “… but not as tired as I was at Emily’s sleepover.” Even into college, I’d come home for Christmas break and sleep for days … declaring an exhaustion so consuming that it rivaled that of Emily’s party.

I still think of this fairly often, especially when I get overly exhausted. Today was one of those really, really tired days. This week was a rough week, y’all. I was feeling pretty excited that it was Friday, but my butt was definitely dragging through the day. This afternoon when my students went to PE and I had a moment to sit down and take a breath, I contemplated my level of exhaustion on the 'Emily birthday party scale.' The results were not good. It was so bad that I had a brief moment of contemplating my escape – sneaking out of work, driving home and going straight to bed. But I sucked it up, just like 11 year-old me did back at that party, and soldiered on until the school day was over.

I left school right after dismissal. I couldn’t get home fast enough. Within about 5 minutes of walking in the door, I had changed into comfy clothes, snuggled up on the couch with a blanket and my pup, and was fast asleep.

It was a great nap – a solid 2 and ½ hours of hard sleep. It may have actually been one of my finest naps ever. You know when you sleep so deeply that you wake up not quite sure what time it is, what day it is, or even who you are? Yeah, it was that kind of nap. And dang, did it feel good!

So, yeah … today I’m grateful I made it through the day, even at level 10 exhaustion on the ‘Emily party scale.’ I’m grateful that the same restraint I had not to scream, “Be quiet, I want to sleep” all those years ago at the party showed up again today in my classroom. And I’m especially grateful for the sweet, sweet slumber of a really good nap