Sleeping in the hotel lobby

I often find myself staying at the same Dallas area hotel with an atrium. I’m an early riser as I go run or lift weights before heading to the office. I find myself coming down the elevator around 5:30am prior to much activity going on downstairs. My last trips I’ve noticed kids covered in blankets sleeping on the lobby couches. I realize that they much be the children of an overnight worker who doesn’t have another alternative for her children. My initial thought was that it was sad and a hardship. And maybe that’s the perspective of the worker. I then started thinking in other terms as I put my NQD mindset in place.

These children seem completely content and often seem to be sleeping very well. As I assessed the area they were sleeping in they were 5 feet from a water feature and small indoor waterfall. They are sleeping in one of my dream scenarios every morning. It’s as if they are camping near a creak with a waterfall. This scenario can create such peace and tranquility for an adult. Imagine being in elementary school and that’s what you get to rest next to. Over time I’ve seen them happy and they do appear so. I stopped feeling sorry for them as if they were sacrificing something as thought they had one of the coolest childhood experiences.

In a very stealthy manner they disappear right before 6am and the early breakfast crowd comes down. I hope the rest of their day can be seen as magical as their sleep.