I’ve not been much of a napper for my adult life. I indulge in a nap perhaps once or twice a year, always to the shock of my family. I claim this not as a badge of honor; it’s simply my nature. I’ve always too much I want to do to lie down in the middle of the day.
Your tendency to be tough on yourself is most certainly a crucial ingredient to the secret of your success in life. However, there is a balancing act between “No pain no gain” and kindness to oneself. I suppose that both have the potential to be toxic, probably depending upon what drives the behavior- the motivating force behind it. The motivation to stay alive sort of trumps everything though - you do whatever it takes to succeed. It reminds me of Cortes burning his own ships (https://blog.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/burn-your-ships-how-to-be-a-great-leader).
Once a path forward is chosen there is no turning back. It is ‘sink or swim.’ So, being kind to oneself has an important place in loving self and others. But when a battle needs to be fought there is no benefit in kindness. Letting the enemy off the hook won’t end well because the enemy here is our own mind. Staying mentally focused on the single goal is one of the biggest challenges of any struggle. But honestly, you’re solid with regard to mastering self discipline, so catching some needed extra zzzz’s Buzzzzz is not something to feel weak about. It is the appropriate part of the balancing act is self care. Even Cortes had to let his soldiers sleep.
Hi Buzz, it sounds as if you are doing very well, time is a great healer and we look forward to your return to Hawaii. Many thanks for your newsletter and I think it has been helpful for you and patients who have to go through similar treatments to yours. Those naps are probably your body telling you you need the rest and it helps reinforce your determination and strength to return to the old Buzz.
Napping! We're very much the same in that respect dear Sir! My motto throughout my life: "Live each day to the fullest." I have too much to do. It's a waste of precious time. I need more hours in the day to do what I need to do.
In recent years I knew I had to give in to naps. It felt like a mortal sin to be sick as a child, needing sleep or take a nap. I hated myself for giving in to my body telling me to slow down, take a rest. Medical science says your body is telling you the need for rest. But I sure fought it. Now, I'll say, okay, just twenty mins on the couch. I'll set the timer. I fall fast asleep.... Darn, that timer went off already? I reset it again and then give up, sleeping a couple of hours in the middle of the day. Thank goodness I finally learned to relent to napping, as when I had that Long Covid last summer, I slept 12ish hours at night and another 3 -4 -5 hrs each afternoon.
So, I understand. But hey! First step- you're acknowledging it. Give yourself a break. Get the rest when you can. Heal that body of yours. You are surrounded by family and friends supporting you. Just relish this time where it's okay to do nothing at times. It's okay.
On another note: What can I do to help after you get home? I know what a struggle it is on your family, this "illness" take a toll on all. Can I bring some meals to help out. Run errands? Give Michelle a break? Do a Farmer's Market run or grocery run? Set up something thru the office to get a running list of people to bring dinners and such? Let me know. Wishing you well, Connie
Hopefully, you took a nap in-between paragraphs while writing this soliloquy.
The importance of pausing and napping, while the body is under re-construction, is obvious when you compare it to a room remodel we’ve just completed.
They demo’d our bathroom. The original tile was jackhammered, bathroom fixtures yanked out, old sinks hoisted and removed. Even our perfectly-good wallpaper was hot-steamed off the walls. The room looked like a war zone, but only our bathroom had been bombed.
Amazingly, the rest of the house seemed fine.
The demo team cleaned up to the best of their ability. Then they left. So we lived like this - just waiting and wondering - with a bombed-out bathroom for what seemed like an eternity.
Then, one day a new team arrived. And instead of the tearing down, ripping apart, and pulling out, they did the opposite. They re-built, replaced, and re-installed everything that had just been demo’d.
It was slow-going at first. But miraculously, each day brought a new delight. The floor tile was replaced that was beyond beautiful. New countertops arrived that brought tears to our eyes. New sinks, new tub, new faucets. Everything was new again and, to us, looked wonderful and amazing.
After the project was finished, we couldn’t remember what it looked like in that bombed-out state. It was just a short blip in our memory banks. All we could remember, with clarity, was the shape our old bathroom had been in (in desperate need of repair), and it’s complete transformation.
So you will soon be in that what-seems-like-an-eternity pause between the teardown and the rebuild. But the rebuild will be finer than anything you can imagine. Hope springs eternal. Never give up.
But please, give yourself the pause, the naps, and some kindness while you wait. It can make the waiting go-down easy.
Your tendency to be tough on yourself is most certainly a crucial ingredient to the secret of your success in life. However, there is a balancing act between “No pain no gain” and kindness to oneself. I suppose that both have the potential to be toxic, probably depending upon what drives the behavior- the motivating force behind it. The motivation to stay alive sort of trumps everything though - you do whatever it takes to succeed. It reminds me of Cortes burning his own ships (https://blog.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/burn-your-ships-how-to-be-a-great-leader).
Once a path forward is chosen there is no turning back. It is ‘sink or swim.’ So, being kind to oneself has an important place in loving self and others. But when a battle needs to be fought there is no benefit in kindness. Letting the enemy off the hook won’t end well because the enemy here is our own mind. Staying mentally focused on the single goal is one of the biggest challenges of any struggle. But honestly, you’re solid with regard to mastering self discipline, so catching some needed extra zzzz’s Buzzzzz is not something to feel weak about. It is the appropriate part of the balancing act is self care. Even Cortes had to let his soldiers sleep.
Hi Buzz, it sounds as if you are doing very well, time is a great healer and we look forward to your return to Hawaii. Many thanks for your newsletter and I think it has been helpful for you and patients who have to go through similar treatments to yours. Those naps are probably your body telling you you need the rest and it helps reinforce your determination and strength to return to the old Buzz.
With much Aloha
Clive and Carol
Hele on Buzz!
Almost there!
Napping! We're very much the same in that respect dear Sir! My motto throughout my life: "Live each day to the fullest." I have too much to do. It's a waste of precious time. I need more hours in the day to do what I need to do.
In recent years I knew I had to give in to naps. It felt like a mortal sin to be sick as a child, needing sleep or take a nap. I hated myself for giving in to my body telling me to slow down, take a rest. Medical science says your body is telling you the need for rest. But I sure fought it. Now, I'll say, okay, just twenty mins on the couch. I'll set the timer. I fall fast asleep.... Darn, that timer went off already? I reset it again and then give up, sleeping a couple of hours in the middle of the day. Thank goodness I finally learned to relent to napping, as when I had that Long Covid last summer, I slept 12ish hours at night and another 3 -4 -5 hrs each afternoon.
So, I understand. But hey! First step- you're acknowledging it. Give yourself a break. Get the rest when you can. Heal that body of yours. You are surrounded by family and friends supporting you. Just relish this time where it's okay to do nothing at times. It's okay.
On another note: What can I do to help after you get home? I know what a struggle it is on your family, this "illness" take a toll on all. Can I bring some meals to help out. Run errands? Give Michelle a break? Do a Farmer's Market run or grocery run? Set up something thru the office to get a running list of people to bring dinners and such? Let me know. Wishing you well, Connie
Buzz ~ Surely you were taught the role of rest in your tx and recovery. Don't be a slacker ~ sleep!
So reviewing my labs is like paying taxes? Good to know! :)
i kū ā hele mai i ka ʻāina, he hale, he ʻai, he iʻa nou, nou ka ʻāina.
...Welcome home!!!
Hopefully, you took a nap in-between paragraphs while writing this soliloquy.
The importance of pausing and napping, while the body is under re-construction, is obvious when you compare it to a room remodel we’ve just completed.
They demo’d our bathroom. The original tile was jackhammered, bathroom fixtures yanked out, old sinks hoisted and removed. Even our perfectly-good wallpaper was hot-steamed off the walls. The room looked like a war zone, but only our bathroom had been bombed.
Amazingly, the rest of the house seemed fine.
The demo team cleaned up to the best of their ability. Then they left. So we lived like this - just waiting and wondering - with a bombed-out bathroom for what seemed like an eternity.
Then, one day a new team arrived. And instead of the tearing down, ripping apart, and pulling out, they did the opposite. They re-built, replaced, and re-installed everything that had just been demo’d.
It was slow-going at first. But miraculously, each day brought a new delight. The floor tile was replaced that was beyond beautiful. New countertops arrived that brought tears to our eyes. New sinks, new tub, new faucets. Everything was new again and, to us, looked wonderful and amazing.
After the project was finished, we couldn’t remember what it looked like in that bombed-out state. It was just a short blip in our memory banks. All we could remember, with clarity, was the shape our old bathroom had been in (in desperate need of repair), and it’s complete transformation.
So you will soon be in that what-seems-like-an-eternity pause between the teardown and the rebuild. But the rebuild will be finer than anything you can imagine. Hope springs eternal. Never give up.
But please, give yourself the pause, the naps, and some kindness while you wait. It can make the waiting go-down easy.