Need vs. Want

The freedom to choose means to choose to choose

For all those followers who have been analyzing each post from the Israel trip, you have already deduced that every one of the naps that was taken fell into the same bucket — the “need” nap. For those who generally think about napping, that’s probably the only category of which they are aware. Whereas we have spent considerable time talking about the other main nap bucket — the “want.” Most notable among those is the “luxury” nap — just because I can, I will.

It’s a Zen thing, you know? Like how many babies fit in a tire? You know, that old joke.

In the holy land, when I needed a nap, I was able to pull one. That’s never easy. As a result of those naps coming by virtue of “need,” the head hit pillow, and I immediately lost consciousness.

Absent a “need,” we made the decision not to nap, instead to see the country. That was an active decision that suggests that for this week, napping without “need’ was secondary.

When I reflect on the trip, what I missed most were the “want” naps. Those are a part of my life, like flossing and drinking coffee. But it wasn’t so much the sleep I missed. I was refreshed from the naps, so I didn’t lose anything on that score. 

What I missed were the few moments between lying down and losing consh. Thoughts settling, mind clearing, day fading. The experience of having only a series of “need” naps, showed me that as much as I value the sleep, I really value that pre-lost consh period as self-prescribed relaxation time.