Nap-A Three Letter Word

So when was it that naps were deemed unnecessary? When did we decide that they were only good for babies and the elderly?

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When my children were little naps were a life saver for both me and them. I called them “quiet time” because as they got a bit older the word nap was a no-no. I told them they didn’t have to sleep but needed to play quietly for an hour, more often than not they would fall asleep. Of course they stopped when they were in elementary school, but they seemed to have unending energy anyway. Middle school and high school had them busy with extra-curricular activities as well as studying. Frankly I have no idea what they did in college, but I am pretty sure their sleep habits included naps although I am sure they didn’t refer to them as such. More like ” God, I passed out for an hour.”

I remember when I was in middle school and high school I would come home get something to eat, turn on the tv and fall asleep on the couch. I am pretty sure that was not referred to as a nap, just fell asleep. It was my body telling me that I needed to rest and recharge. As adults we get up early and go to bed late and wonder why we are running on empty. Doctors suggest that sleep is an important part of your health plan to keep your immune system healthy and performing its job.

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My mother used to nap regularly as she got older and I am pretty sure she did when we were growing up, but that was a different time (oh, so long ago!). I would come home from work and find her asleep in her reading chair, she would tell me that she took little cat naps during the day. I have trouble if I go to sleep too early because I tend to wake up at 2 in the morning unable to get to sleep, so I try not to nap too late because I think then it will push my bedtime even later.

This pandemic as well as my retirement has taught me that a well timed nap does wonders. No more than an hour after lunch and for only 30 minutes and my mind and body feel better and function better. If I am reading and I find myself fighting to stay awake I have to ask myself; why are you fighting it? Get comfortable and take a short nap. It is not an indulgence but as much as working out is a part of my fitness routine a nap is good for my health. I awake feeling refreshed and ready to take on the second part of my day. I do not always feel the need to take a nap on a daily basis, now especially as I am sleeping later in the morning, but when the need arises I will not apologize. People feel guilty if they are not going 24/7 and this isn’t good for them. You should never feel the need to justify taking care of your health.

The word Nap shouldn’t be a taboo or one just related to babies. So, tomorrow or whenever you feel a little stressed and tired get comfortable and settle in for a 30 minute nap, set the alarm so you don’t oversleep and get yourself recharged! livingeveryday2017@wordpress.com

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Nap-A Three Letter Word

So when was it that naps were deemed unnecessary? When did we decide that they were only good for babies and the elderly?

Photo by Gianni Orefice on Pexels.com

When my children were little naps were a life saver for both me and them. I called them “quiet time” because as they got a bit older the word nap was a no-no. I told them they didn’t have to sleep but needed to play quietly for an hour, more often than not they would fall asleep. Of course they stopped when they were in elementary school, but they seemed to have unending energy anyway. Middle school and high school had them busy with extra-curricular activities as well as studying. Frankly I have no idea what they did in college, but I am pretty sure their sleep habits included naps although I am sure they didn’t refer to them as such. More like ” God, I passed out for an hour.”

I remember when I was in middle school and high school I would come home get something to eat, turn on the tv and fall asleep on the couch. I am pretty sure that was not referred to as a nap, just fell asleep. It was my body telling me that I needed to rest and recharge. As adults we get up early and go to bed late and wonder why we are running on empty. Doctors suggest that sleep is an important part of your health plan to keep your immune system healthy and performing its job.

Photo by Marcus Aurelius on Pexels.com

My mother used to nap regularly as she got older and I am pretty sure she did when we were growing up, but that was a different time (oh, so long ago!). I would come home from work and find her asleep in her reading chair, she would tell me that she took little cat naps during the day. I have trouble if I go to sleep too early because I tend to wake up at 2 in the morning unable to get to sleep, so I try not to nap too late because I think then it will push my bedtime even later.

This pandemic as well as my retirement has taught me that a well timed nap does wonders. No more than an hour after lunch and for only 30 minutes and my mind and body feel better and function better. If I am reading and I find myself fighting to stay awake I have to ask myself; why are you fighting it? Get comfortable and take a short nap. It is not an indulgence but as much as working out is a part of my fitness routine a nap is good for my health. I awake feeling refreshed and ready to take on the second part of my day. I do not always feel the need to take a nap on a daily basis, now especially as I am sleeping later in the morning, but when the need arises I will not apologize. People feel guilty if they are not going 24/7 and this isn’t good for them. You should never feel the need to justify taking care of your health.

The word Nap shouldn’t be a taboo or one just related to babies. So, tomorrow or whenever you feel a little stressed and tired get comfortable and settle in for a 30 minute nap, set the alarm so you don’t oversleep and get yourself recharged!

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Guest Post-Goodbye

This is one of Park’s humans and I need to tell you that she will no longer be posting. This past Friday Park succumbed to the lymphoma that she had been fighting for awhile. It happened quickly, once remission had ended it was only a matter of days. She was training me to the end.

Park hoped to help you to make a good life with your humans and to take your jobs seriously, well not too seriously. She had a sense of humor. She put me on a schedule and a routine that I am finding hard not to continue even now.

Park taught me that getting outside and enjoying the world was important, make sure to see and smell the world and greet your friends enthusiastically. No matter what had happened in her early life she loved being with people and showing them that they were loved and trusted. There were certain things she didn’t like and it probably had something to do with her life before us, but she worked hard to show us that while the vacuum cleaner sounded and looked threatening she would stay close and protect us.

She taught us that a full grown dog from a shelter can be the most loving and loyal animal you could ever meet. She wanted by her lessons to teach and help humans to understand the mind of a dog, that is if you shared these lessons with your humans. No one was ever in doubt that she would give her all to you and she did every day.

She taught me that even though she was feeling bad and in pain she would try to do whatever I asked of her. I was with her until the end and she went peacefully not in anymore pain and knowing that she had done all she could to teach me how to be a better human. I will carry those lessons and her in my heart everyday. She will be missed but never forgotten and I will be forever grateful for the happiness she brought us and me in particular.

Must Make Eye Contact

Humans can be pretty self absorbed at times. I have spoke how lately I am hungry and thirsty ALOT! This means I have the need to go outside more frequently, so I am left with just how to project this need.

When ever one of them gets up or moves around the house I go with them. The food room (kitchen) is a popular room and one human does a great deal of cooking so I like to stay close. She never really gives me anything but there are times when she drops stuff so I clean up the floor, really just trying to be helpful to be honest, because she rarely drops anything of much substance. Of course the minute anyone gets up and moves around I need to go out. If I am sleeping or just lying down I am not aware but if I move about then it all changes.

They will ask me if I need to go out and I try to answer them by perking up and possibly giving a little woof, this is not well received, but really I am only trying to show them I appreciate them noticing. I get excited when I think they are going out because I always get a treat before they walk out the door. Don’t get me wrong, it is not as if I want them gone but the treat is a bonus and I know they are coming back after all.

I get my afternoon meal at the same time everyday, with a walk right after so my stomach starts telling me before that time and I stick close to my human. She is adamant about not feeding me any sooner than the time she set, but I watch for any crack in her armor. I have taken to sitting close to her and staring at her. If she makes eye contact I know I can push it. Eye contact is hard but worth the effort, first you have to stare at your human even if you can’t see their face and if they glance at you, then you have to quickly utilize the puppy eyes. This is very important, very few humans can resist. I put this into practice multiple times a day and it pays off, not with food that often but belly rubs, ear scratches and snuggles, but I still try at meal times. They are not always strong in resisting you, they are only human after all.

I AM HUNGRY!

Seriously, I am hungry and thirsty all the time now. My humans are getting a bit annoyed, I can tell, about my constant begging and eating whatever I can find on my walks.

This may have something to do with whatever they are hiding in the peanut butter that I now get in my breakfast. I have said before that I trust them and they must feel that it is important for me to have it, but it is crazy.

They fill up my none too small water bowl at least 3 times a day and I know that they are upping my breakfast and dinner amount a little bit. I also get more treats especially on my walks as my human is trying to distract me from eating acorns, seeds and berries and what ever else is lying on the ground that could be edible. I used to try to occasionally eat this stuff not because I liked it as much as I was on a mission to drive out the squirrels (the Spawns of Satan), but now it is just because I am hungry. These things don’t really taste good, a little crunchy, but that is it.

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I am having to go out to go to the bathroom a lot more now as I am drinking so much more, good thing my human is home most of the time now. I really am trying to keep these things under control, but at least I have good humans to take care of me during this difficult time.

Humans And Their Projects!

Humans can find so many ways to be busy that frankly I find them exhausting. The latest from my human was working in one of the rooms of the house, where they eat with lots of people, it involved 3 days of intense activity. I strove to keep an eye on her because there seemed to be so many ways she could get into trouble.

She started off by climbing a ladder or chair and spraying and scraping stuff off the wall near the top. It was making a mess and the stuff that was coming off was slippery and I was concerned that she might slip. I kept very close, moved when she moved and made sure she knew I was right next to her or behind her so she had to be very careful where she stepped or moved the ladder. This slowed her down a bit and she was getting annoyed but she didn’t slip and fall, job done!

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This job took two days, and she started immediately to take pictures off the wall and stack them in another room. There is a large cabinet type thing that seems to hold an unending amount of books and that was emptied, again in the other room. She put some in bags and took them out to the car, don’t know where she took them or if she is just storing them in there. She then moved the cabinet away from the wall by herself, I tried to let her know that I didn’t think this was a good idea at all. I followed close at her heels and whined but she paid me no heed. Well, nothing bad happened so I guess it was okay.

A tub of white stuff and a flat tool was put to use on certain small parts of the wall and rubbed with some rough paper the next day, lots of dust, sweeping and mopping was now part of the process. I tried to help by smelling and licking, but that was not looked upon favorably. I gave up but kept a sharp eye on her anyway.

A large bucket of soapy water was brought out with the ladder again and this was applied to the walls. I really do not have a clue as to what was going on, but the ladder was out which meant I had to stick close. Water and a slippery floor was a recipe for disaster and that was not going to happen on my watch.

Blue sticky tape was applied next which again involved the ladder, if she wasn’t tall enough to do this with her feet flat on the floor then why was it an option? Lots of blankets or sheets were put down on the floor and  new tools were added to this project that I now realized was never going to be done. A can of some weird smelling stuff was opened and a tool with a long stick was used and then put to the wall. She still had to use a ladder as the tool didn’t get all the way up to the top. I stayed in the adjacent room to watch until she reached a part of the room I couldn’t see and had to join her. Once this day was over I though we would get back to normal but she wasn’t cleaning it all up, just a few items.

After our morning walk, another can was opened and she started over again! What fresh hell was this? The whole process was repeated, I failed to see much change. After this was done she appeared to be cleaning up completely, she got another one of my humans to help her with the cabinet this time and it was moved back into place. Books were sorted and put back into the cabinet, some behind closed doors others on view. This was 3 or 4 days of intense activity and the end result is that the walls are a different color!

Humans are an odd bunch to be sure, but I found this exhausting. Now my human knows that I am not feeling great and was always considerate about stopping what she was doing to take me outside to take care of things, I personally think she enjoyed the little breaks as she must have been tired too. She is home more now, since I have been to the new doctor as she knows that I have to go to the bathroom more, so she doesn’t want to put me in a bad way.  I appreciate her attitude, she is making this situation bearable. So I guess I can put up with her projects.

Quick update

After a flurry of appointments at different vet’s offices. I have settled into a bit of a routine with a few changes from my norm.

I get a new added treat with my breakfast in the morning, a spoonful of peanut butter. It is probably hiding something but I trust that whatever my human is doing or giving me is for my best interest. I am liking the peanut butter. I am hungry frequently now and I must admit have become a bit of a pest begging for food. I am not proud of this but it is what it is. I am also very thirsty most of the time, so my humans have been making sure my water bowl doesn’t run dry for which I am grateful. With my intake of water increasing it means I have to go out more often. This seems to be the case in the afternoon and evening. My humans have learned to read the signals, but there have been times when I had an accident in the house. Those were extremely embarrassing, I mean I am not a puppy. I am housebroken but one time they were not home and another when I just couldn’t get them to listen to me. They know it is not my fault, so they have structured their days so this is less likely to happen.

I do not know what the next chapter will bring but I know my humans are doing their best for me and I am not worried. I have a great life with a great family that loves me. What else could I ask for?

Long Car Ride, New Doctor

I wanted to update you all regarding all my doctor appointments. I have been busy. I had to go to my doctor to have my stitches taken out and apparently they decided that I needed to go to another one farther away.

I do enjoy a car ride and I was excited to start off, but it took a long time and I began to get a bit more anxious. We arrived at a very big place with a lot of other animals waiting and I was very anxious. I did not want to get on the scale even though this has never bothered me before. I was completely overwhelmed. The doctor was very nice, she and my human talked for quite awhile and then I was dismayed to see my human walk away while I went with the doctor to another place. I was put into a cage and I began to worry. I don’t remember what happened next but when I woke up my belly had been shaved and was itchy, I hated that! I don’t know how long I was there and I did not feel great. Everything was a little fuzzy.

My human met me in the big room that I arrived in and we got in the car and went home! I think something bad is happening because my humans are very upset. One keeps crying and I try to make her feel better, but she is scaring me a little.

A good thing is happening, every morning with my breakfast I get a spoonful of this great tasting stuff. I think I heard her saying it was peanut butter, yum! I have to go outside to pee a lot more but other than that I feel okay. If anything changes I will let you know.

Waiting For Test Results

Sorry that I have been away for awhile, but I have just been lazing around enjoying things. Although a little bit ago my human took me to the vet and they did some tests and required me to come back multiple times. I went back today and stayed for quite a bit although I really don’t know how long because I was asleep.

I had some sort of procedure done and now I am wearing this black turtleneck thing to keep me from scratching my neck. Humans are a strange bunch. When my human came to bring me home I was very glad to see her, but I was feeling a little strange, kind of groggy.

I heard her talking to the other doctors there and they said I needed to come back again in a week or so, wasn’t very clear. I will let you know what is going on when I know, but right now I am just glad to be home.

Why Do Humans Like Loud Noises

I do not understand humans and their affection for loud noises. I suppose that is a bad way to put it, maybe it is just that it doesn’t seem to bother them at all or at least the ones I have met. Recently, we have had quite a few loud thunder storms that go on for a bit. Fireworks are another problem but at least they seem to be relegated to only certain times. Humans seem to enjoy them, I guess their hearing is not as good as mine and they are aware of what the noise is and where it is coming from. My humans try to tell me that all is well but the more they pay attention to me the more uneasy I become-why are they looking so concerned? Is it really as bad as I think? At times I don’t think they are all that bright; I mean they have that loud rolling machine that they push around(a vacuum?) in the house and it doesn’t even faze them. Yesterday, my human started up a loud machine outdoors and pushed it all over the grass outside, I kept trying to warn her but again she was oblivious.

 

I have two places I go when I hear these noises or the threat of them occurring and I believe my humans know that it is my safe place and I will be fine. I know it is my job to take care of them but if they are unwilling to notice the danger then it is their problem, they are on their own. Can’t say that I haven’t made it obvious to them of danger. I know way ahead of time when a storm is coming I can feel it, and smell it before I see it or hear it.  I have heard them say that I am their storm predictor so they are aware of these dangers. They just choose to ignore them.

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I worry about humans and their poor hearing, it is because they have been exposed to these loud noises for so long that their hearing is damaged. Maybe they are just numb to the fact that loud noises are a constant presence in their everyday lives so they just take it in stride?

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Other than the frequent storms and the unrelenting heat it has been going well here, keeping the humans on their toes and doing refresher courses on some basic as well as advanced commands. You can’t rely on them remembering all you have taught them, they are only human after all.