eyelids of lead

*The curse has come upon me* cried the Lady of Shallot

‘Tis a different curse that’s come upon me, tho’ this one –  the Afternoon Sleepies — is no less ferocious or insidious than that which plagued Tennyson’s heroine.

I am half sick of shadows

Why oh why does not American culture allot sufficient time for leisure? The American Work Ethic is so concerned with productivity that we have collectively lost sight of the small pleasures in life. Like afternoon naps.

After lunch, in the midst of an afternoon spent at my work desk, my eyes become so heavy that I often resort to typing with my eyes closed. (Blessed be touch-typing skills!) Why oh why is a half-ass break-neck pace preferred to diligence and conscientiousness? Would that I could doze off briefly in the afternoons! My post-lunch work product would no doubt improve considerably.

But no. That’s not the way we do things here. America lays claim to efficiency and productivity and would be hard pressed to sacrifice those purported virtues, even if it is at the expense of the physiological and psychological health of her citizens.

~ by tangle on May 12, 2009.