There is a lovely little piece in the NYT today about sleep, more precisely, comparing the sleep of humans with that of other (farm) animals.
And it has the most marvelous word in it that I've never heard before. It's not even clear to me if it's a real word or something the author (Verlyn Klinkenborg, which also sounds a little made up) created.
The word is "somnifer" and it refers to the "deep pool of sleep within you." It seems related to the word "aquifer" referring to underground rivers. What a lovely idea, that we have a resevoir of sleep within us like an underground lake.
The author points out that you can tell how strong human culture's control over us is by how hard we work to arrange our sleep. But now if you need a nap, just tell your boss or co-workers, "I have to knock off for a bit to replenish my somnifer." That sounds kind of distinguished, don't you think?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I lay down on the floor after my long ride yesterday with no particular agenda. I awoke an hour later, with dog Millie by my side, also replenishing her somnifer. She probably thought I was finally acting like a sensible creature.
That pretty much describes my life. My somnifer gets plenty of replenishment - I just can not survive without her (and yes, she has a gender).
Post a Comment