naptime

When the afternoon shadows fall my kids start to run out of gas. About 2pm they get clumsy, cranky and unwilling to nap on their own accord. I have found a sure fire way to get them the sleep they need in the middle of the day. I strap them in their car seats, put on NPR at a low volume and drive to Forest Lawn Memorial Park. It is the perfect place to go because the speed limit is 20 miles an hour, with few stops, and there are gorgeous green lawns dotted with large lush trees. My kids are lulled instantly as we enter the huge iron gates. I watch the shadows from the leafed branches roll across their faces through my rear view mirror as they gaze out the tinted van windows. My daughter stops singing, my son coos softly to himself. I drive slowly through the small neighborhoods of the park, each with it's own name printed discreetly on the curb. Names like, Whispering Pines, Vale of Memory and Slumberland. After they have been asleep for at least ten minutes, I look for a shady spot and pull the car over. I leave the engine on so that the temperature doesn't rise inside and I put my seat back. Then I get out my book. That's right, I AM READING A BOOK! David Sedaris "Dress Them in corduroy and Denim." I read until one of them starts stirring, usually my son, and then I slowly make my way towards the exit and go home.

Yesterday, I even crawled into the empty back row of the van and fell asleep myself. I locked the doors, but wasn't really worried about someone approaching the car at a cemetery. I slept for about a half an hour and woke up feeling great. Naps for me have been very hard to come by since my son was born.

Today I parked on the left side of the road and looked straight down from my driver's seat to see a grave marker right below me. Louisa Pasquailia 1893 to 1954. I just stared at it. Usually I look slightly above ground and don't think about the thousands of bodies underneath the beautifully manicured lawns. But today, with all the news of death and suffering being discussed on NPR in the Gulf Coast, I had to face it. Maybe it's my love of the HBO show Six Feet Under that has kept me from being creeped out in this place. As I see it, it's just a great place to take a nap.