I love naps. A nap is a time when you go to sleep when you’re not supposed to be sleeping, mostly in the daytime. It’s the one rare time when you listen to your fatigued body and let yourself fall asleep, no matter what time it is in the day.
I used to take a lot of naps in grad school. Even ten minutes of napping before I had to TA or go to a class made a huge difference in the day. When I started work, I thought my napping days were over. That was true for a while, but then things changed when I moved my ass out to the boonies.
Having to get up extra early to get to work means I’m pretty tired by the end of the day. Now, when I get on that 160 bus along Burrard in the evening, I’m usually exhausted. The bus is warm and it’s dark. There’s nothing for me to do but sit there. It’s a perfect recipe for falling asleep.
I usually doze after we leave the dowtown eastside. Somewhere along Hastings, Mr. Sandman visits me. I sometimes briefly awake, seeing other people get on the bus. I imagine I must look like an idiot, being half-awake. I’ve never missed my stop. Somehow, I always wake around the time the bus turns onto St. John’s from the Barnet Highway.
Since the bus ride takes about 35 minutes in total, I’m asleep for less than that. When I get off the bus, I feel much better and the cold contrast of the outdoors ensures I’m fully awake for the short walk to the front door. Napping the bus is good.
Ok, your reward for reading about how I like to sleep on the bus is this ridiculously non-user friendly web page that shows you how to make paper airplanes. Good luck trying to fold the paper while watching the animations.