Thursday, April 16, 2009

In ode to the zzzs

Have you ever had that feeling that you're ready to crash, curl up and sleep till eternity, but you have no place to do it? It happens to me a lot - always in the middle of the afternoons on days that define the term 'bone tired', usually in the middle of the week when the deadlines are over and the next ones have not begun looming yet.

What keeps me in my fake-leather swivel chair, surfing the net to keep my eyes open, is that I don't want to go home. I can't crash there: Nino's nap times are non-existent, and going home in the middle of the day is like a treat for him: he wants to do so much stuff with me, I can never get over the guilt of closing the door on his face and going to bed. Who am I kidding. Closing the door on his face? He'll barge right in with his questions. (Did I tell you the cousins call him Mr 20 Questions? I think its mean, but sometimes I say it to him too.)

My bachelor pads were the perfect places for a snooze. Dark, empty, music if you please, with just the right small snack left in the larder. Quiet and devoid of people and children. In shady lanes of old localities, far away from the traffic and yet, close enough to hail an autorickshaw. Friends would pop by all the time, looking to recuperate bodies and minds and sometimes weary souls. For two hours, and a cup of tea shared with me. I often left my key under the doormat: I worked long hours in college and I knew the importance of an afternoon nap, given the emotional torments of a not-yet-adult heart.

I miss those places and spaces today, miss having something similar, not really mine, but open to me, to use. To curl up and sleep underneath blind-darkened windows, not worry about the cook, the kid, the boss or the help. Life can be faced after it's 4:00pm.

14 comments:

nitya said...

Nap is a bad word around here, as you know. But Nino sounds like someone who did get along with Arjun famously - maybe they would be so busy asking each other questions, you could catch that nap and a cuppa as well. *Grin*

Nino's Mum said...

Nitya - you live 1 too many thousand miles away my dear friend. sigh. and if I come there, I'll be too busy storing images and annecdotes of arjun in my brain to replay everytime I read your posts. I'm a hoarder of memories, can you tell?!

Altoid said...

Specially at those post-lunch meetings...where the voices sound like distant echoes and you imagine the conference room table has magically turned into a cozy sofa bed, you see red polka dot cushions, notes of Bach, some herbal green tea with just the right amount of honey....yes I think its whats called a power nap! :D

maidinmalaysia said...

i smelt a nap...

i know of those bachelor pads... i used to be the friend, who shared the cuppa and chattered for two hours...

how tired you must feel, nino's mum.

chikkoo milkshakes are in order

Sands said...

oh I so know what you mean. And when they get older their evening activities take over and your day officially begins again at 5 p.m. Somedays I wish I could hide myself just to catch up on the zzzs :(

VJ said...

I felt the same last week !!!
can completely understand !!.. dont worry.. weekend is around the corner
hugs NM !!!

Choxbox said...

am not a nap person AT ALL. the only times i ever napped post toddlerhood were when i was pregnant, that too occasionally.

you should possibly move to goa. folks actually shut shops down from 1 to 4 - have a leisurely lunch and a nap :)

or get MiM along and come over - promise you tall glasses of chilled chikoo milkshake and a nice dark nap-pad.

In love with my life said...

I am not much of a nap person...i was the one who read books when the rest of the crowd napped.

Come over...i'll play with Nino and you can catch up on sleep.I have no kid at home to mess with now:-(

Nino's Mum said...

OMG. I now officially have three sleep-at-will pads open to me: and all three are in this country!

Altoid - Damn, I can do the meetings, but I just can't do the not-really-crucial work days, when I know I'm not really needed at work. And I've yet to try the power nap!

MinM - What say we both take up chox's offer? Barge in and glug the chilled milkshakes before she changes her mind?! hugs to you darling woman: you would know exactly what I mean about not being able to catch up on the zzzs.

Sands - aiyyo. That too. I did go home early yesterday. At 5. And then made papier machie bowls till 7. And then made dinner. And then did alphabets. And then read him books. And then went to bed at 11.
I think we must start this floating motel thing that we can check in for two hours. open to all of us, ofcourse.

VJ - yay! you've given me the best news - I love the weekends too!

chox - Wasn't a nap person either, till now when I know I can't get one! Nino's Dad's lifedream (read retirement plan at 40) is to move to Goa where he can open up an bistro and cook food all day long, so we should be moving there in a couple of decades for sure.

InLove - You're missing the little man so much, girl, big hug to you. Why don't you try your way around the four-wheeler? ;)

Choxbox said...

you bin tagged nino'smom-ben.

*trying to induct some more after the recent success with WJ*

Gauri Gharpure said...

the thing about bachelor pads made a delightful read. could actually see the house at the end of a gulmohar covered quiet lane.

i was very particular about my siesta time, still am.. thankfully, my nocturnal office hours let me curl up in the dark room after the food is done, the house is in order. bliss..

Tharini said...

Sigh. you make me most envious that I did not ever make it to your place for that nap.

Tharini said...

And...you are tagged!
http://winkiesways.blogspot.com/2009/04/around-world-in-80-clicks.html

momstir said...

Hi NM. Did you realise that the ticker on your site says Nino is # yrs, 3 mnths, 3 weeks and 3 days old? You probably did... but it just got me excited.

hugs :))