THE COST OF A NAP
What you don’t ask… will eventually answer you
Middle of the day. No alarm. No guilt. Fully down — no negotiation, no calculation, no apology. I used to walk past this and keep moving. Took me longer than I’d like to admit to understand what they already knew.
It was right in front of me…
and I almost missed it.
Not because it was hidden…
but because I wasn’t looking for it.
DEDICATION
To the Holy Spirit — for bringing awareness in the quiet places I used to overlook.
To my brother Stephen Elcano — who stimulates my thinking and sharpens me… a kindred spirit walking a similar path, and a gift I don’t take lightly.
To my dear friend Bryan Kramer — for the way you inspire me and call things out that matter.
To my wife, Marty — who doesn’t just read what I write… she lives it. You are the hidden treasure in my life… and my treasured nap buddy, right alongside our four Aussies — all of you teaching me something I took far too long to learn.
SCRIPTURE
“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” — Mark 8:36 (NKJV)
THE HOOK
It’s 12:11 p.m.
Wednesday. Tax day.
And I’m laying down for a nap.
That alone would have been unthinkable for most of my life.
For years…
I wouldn’t pay that price.
A nap felt like losing ground.
Felt like giving something up.
Felt like someone else might be getting ahead.
So I stayed moving.
Stayed chasing.
Stayed producing.
No matter what it cost.
THE STORY
This morning I sat with a friend…
Stephen.
We talked about writing.
Why we do it.
Why now.
Different seasons…
same realization.
There’s a cost to everything.
I lived that for years in business.
Every client… every project…
same question:
“What’s it going to cost?”
Can we afford it?
Do we want to pay it?
What do we get in return?
That question runs deeper than business.
It’s everywhere now.
The world is asking it.
The news is asking it.
The markets reflect it.
What’s the cost of war?
What’s the cost at the pump?
What’s the cost of all of it?
And we pay it.
One way or another… we pay it.
Tax day is a hard teacher.
File late and the cost doesn’t disappear.
It compounds.
Penalties. Interest.
Maybe one of those exhilarating audits down the road.
The bill was always there.
You just pushed it forward.
THE MOMENT
But here’s what hit me…
I don’t think we’re asking the right question.
You’re not missing the hidden cost.
You’re avoiding the answer it would give you.
THE TURN
The hidden cost.
That’s the one nobody’s talking about.
Not really.
Because the hidden cost doesn’t show up on the invoice.
It shows up later.
In your body.
In your relationships.
In your peace.
In your direction.
I’ve had over 18 surgeries in my life.
I paid the visible cost.
But what I live with now…
that’s the hidden cost.
The things no one could fully explain.
The things the body doesn’t respond to.
The things you only understand after you’re already in it.
That’s where the real price shows up.
THE DRIFT
“Just keep moving… you’ll rest later.”
That voice sounds like discipline.
It isn’t.
Discipline knows when to stop.
That voice only knows how to push.
It tells you you’re gaining ground…
while something deeper is being drained.
I know. Because I ran on it. For years.
THE REFLECTION
I look at my dogs now.
Middle of the day…
they just lay down.
No negotiation.
No calculation.
No fear of missing out.
They rest.
And I used to think that cost too much.
Now…
I take a nap…
and I wake up better.
Clearer.
Stronger.
More present.
I used to think a nap cost me time.
I never stopped to ask what it was costing me to never rest.
And I can’t help but wonder…
What did it cost me all those years
to stay in motion?
Because the hidden cost isn’t always what you give up.
Sometimes…
it’s what you never allowed yourself to receive.
And sometimes…
it’s what you take from others
without even realizing it.
A short answer.
A sharp tone.
A moment where you snap instead of see.
You’re thinking about where you are.
You’re not thinking about where they are.
And later…
you find out it landed deeper than you meant.
Someone felt it.
Someone carried it.
And you didn’t even know there was a cost.
That’s the hidden part.
We don’t avoid the hidden cost because we don’t know it exists.
We avoid it because…
if we ask the question honestly…
we might not like the answer.
We might have to slow down.
Pay attention.
Change direction.
And that costs something most people won’t pay.
WALKAWAY LINE
The life you’re building is shaped less by what you choose… and more by what you refuse to see.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
What hidden cost are you already paying… that you never stopped to ask about?
MY PRAYER
Heavenly Father,
Slow me down enough to see what I’ve been running past.
Give me the courage to ask the deeper question… even when the answer costs me something.
Help me live aware… not just active.
And teach me to recognize the things that quietly take from me… before they shape my life.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
ABOUT G~
G~ writes from lived experience — exploring identity, authority, and time through the lens of faith, trial, leadership, and surrender. His reflections are not meant to condemn or hype, but to steady. Rooted in covenant, forged through adversity, and anchored under the authority of Jesus Christ, his work invites readers to examine who governs their lives — and to live intentionally under truth.
If what you’ve read resonates with your journey, feel free to reach out.
G~