Turning the Day Around

My head throbs when I wake up this morning.   It's just a head cold, but it hit suddenly and drained all energy from my body.  When I return home from campus after my morning classes, I move through the kitchen and prepare lunch as if  I'm underwater.  My movement seems slow and distant; my thoughts seem cloudy and dull.

After eating we settle onto the couch with a stack of books.  I read them aloud on auto-pilot, hearing my voice in my head, listening to the rise and fall of my cadence.  Both girls seem tired, too.

Should we all take a nap? I ask, thinking that Brooke won't bite.  She hasn't napped for many months, but today, she slings her thumb in her mouth and nods.

Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is go to sleep.

A one-hour nap has entirely turned my day around.  I can go on.