Before you read
Do you ever take a nap? If so, how long do you nap? How do you feel when you wake up? Taking a nap is healthy. It helps reset the brain. And it gives us extra energy.
Audio
Reading: Taking a Nap
It’s summer in Atlanta. It is five o’clock in the morning. Birds are chirping. The sun is rising.
Felicia is in bed. Slowly, sunlight fills her room. She cannot sleep anymore. So she gets out of bed and goes to the bathroom. Felicia washes her face and brushes her teeth. After that, she goes downstairs and makes coffee. Sitting at the kitchen table, Felicia drinks three cups of coffee. Today, she feels really tired.
In fact, Felicia feels tired every day. Her energy is always low. She can’t think clearly. Sometimes, she naps on her lunch break. Other times, she cannot.
Her job is very difficult. That’s because Felicia is a counselor. She listens to people’s problems. Their problems are serious. They are complex. She gives them advice. Felicia is excellent at her job. Therefore, her clients trust her. She knows that people need her help. So, she takes her job seriously. It is a lot of pressure.
Coming Home
When she gets home, her children hug her. This makes her feel welcomed and loved. But they also need her attention. Her son, Eliam, is 12 years old. He needs a lot of help with his homework. Felicia doesn’t always remember sixth grade math. But she tries her best. Her two daughters, Maya and Clara, are nine and seven years old. Maya asks her a thousand questions. Felicia anwers most of them. Clara just wants to play pretend. However, make believe is exhausting.
Sometimes, Felicia just turns on the television. The children sit with her on the couch. Slowly, her eyelids get heavy. The room seems darker. She cannot stay awake. Everything fades away.
A Catnap
One day, they are all on the couch together. Eliam notices that Felicia is nodding off. He looks at Maya and Clara. They look back at him. He holds up his finger to his lips. They understand. He wants them to be quiet. Maya lowers the volume on the TV.
They all wait ten minutes. Then, Eliam goes to get a blanket. Clara goes upstairs to her room. Maya slowly gets up from the couch. Eliam comes back. Next, he covers his mom with the blanket. She moves around a little. Eliam and Maya freeze. They don’t want to wake their mom up. Both of them know how tired she is. If she rests, she will be happier. They want her to feel energetic.
The kids think she looks comfortable. So, they go upstairs to join Clara. In Clara’s room, Eliam teaches Clara a new board game. Maya gets a book out of her backpack. They are there for about a half hour.
Waking Up Refreshed
Finally, they hear their mom downstairs. She calls out for them. They run down the stairs and jump on the couch.
“Thanks for letting me sleep, you guys,” Felicia says, “so refreshing!” Her voice is hoarse. But she feels so much better. “Now, what do you want to play?”
The kids smile. They knew it was a good idea to let Felicia sleep. Now, their mom is back!