The Path to Diversion

After Lauren's nap -- that time of day when she is enclosed in her bedroom, quietly NOT sleeping -- I usually enter the room gingerly.  I expect to accidentally stub my toe on a wayward farmhouse or impale my tender arches upon some pokey princess figurine. 

I am rarely surprised at the mess.  It sprawls in a garish combination of primaries and pastels across the carpet in maps of secret toddler activity.  Here, a shelf is emptied, proving a marathon reading session.  There, a bucket overturned, spilling plastic nativity pieces before an empty stable. 

The stuffed-animals are a given; never a nap goes by without them being flung to all corners, weaving a path of destruction or creation: their intended pattern is in the eye of the beholder.

But on this day...Lauren's sneaky playfulness caught me off guard in its unexpected ending. 

Settled perfectly cozily in a toy bucket, book on her lap, animals scattered far and wide, my Lauren was engaged in quiet rest. 

But never in her cozy, warm bed.  No, never there.  Who could endure such boredom?!