Taking a Moment Not To Think
Derek and I took our current exchange student, Lotta, to Epcot a few weeks ago to explore the countries of The World Showcase. We stopped in the China pavilion to watch the 360 movie called Reflections of China. There were a few minute before the movie was going to start so we sat down in the waiting area outside of the theater. The seating is arranged with long flat benches so I just laid across an entire bench and decided to take a little nap. Lotta looked at me laying across an entire bench and said “I think it would be great to travel around the world and take naps in different countries.” I have decided that I love everyone from Finland.
I have had or have witnessed some of the best naps at Disney. I remember years ago when we took my cousin Aaron and his family to the Magic Kingdom, and we had been there the whole day. We sat down at 10:30pm on the edge of the Electric Light Parade route and my cousin literally laid his head down on the pavement and fell asleep in a crowd of thousands of people. Derek wanted to wake him up because he was concerned about not knowing where the pavement had been but I just let him sleep. I know the wonders of a 10 minute nap and I wouldn’t dream of taking that away from anyone.
One of my best naps also happened at the Magic Kingdom. We had taken our friends David and Tiffany and their twin boys into the park for the kid’s first trip to Disney. We managed somehow to get right to the edge of the parade route for the 3 O’clock Parade and the kids jumped out of their double stroller and ran around while we were waiting for it to come down Main Street. The stroller was one of those Schwinn runner strollers. I looked it over and decided, well, the kids weren’t using it at the moment so I climbed in, pulled the top cover over me and went to sleep. I was later told that the parade reached us and one of the 7 dwarfs walked up to the stroller, pushed the top back slightly, extended his arms toward the stroller to direct everyone’s attention to the man child sleeping in it, ran to get his other 6 dwarf friends to show them the spectacle which then meant the entire crowd was now looking at me napping in the stroller. Snow White eventually came by and pushed them along with only a slight look of judgment on her face. I missed the whole thing but I have got to tell you, it was a great nap.
I think naps are wonderful. It is just so unfortunate that the only time you really get to have them is when you are a kid. Do you remember when you were in preschool and they would bring out a mat for nap time and when you woke up you got milk and cookies? I’m pretty sure that is the description of nirvana.
What I enjoy the most about a nap is that when I let myself detach from the day, even if it is only for a few minutes, I feel like I get a second fresh start. It is as if a moment of no thought opens up the space for new thoughts to come through. I can’t tell you how many times I have been looking at an issue for hours and been stuck as to how to make everyone happy. Then I take a nap or go to a relaxing yoga class, I stop thinking for a moment, and I come back with the new idea that moves the issue forward. There is some true magic in those moments of silence.
Now if I could just figure out how to get someone to bring me some milk and cookies.
Mark Ramey
