To some, a bed is just another
piece of furniture, but a bed is almost a personal friend.
Rooms are named after the bed.
There is no chair-room or table-room, but every home has at least one bedroom.
They are quiet dark places with
only the most intimate reactions take place by couples. There is even special
clothing to be worn on the bed.
On the bed is where you start your
day and on the bed is where you finish your night.
The bed gives comfort to the sick,
a gathering spot for families on Christmas, and a platform for incredible
pleasure.
The bed may be the most important
piece of furniture one purchases. More time is spent on the bed than anywhere
else.
Our dreams and sometimes hopes
rely on the bed being comfortable and a haven for relaxing.
On the bed, couples tell their
most vulnerable secrets that no one else will ever know. The bed offers a safe
haven for holding on to one another, sharing the same breath, sometimes
bringing out horrible noises and performing bodily functions that would never
be accepting in other locations.
A simple wooden box woven with
metal springs and wrapped in soft material has become the treasured location
for our body to rest yet out minds continue to sort our emotions, memories,
anxieties into dreams.
Laying down and closing our eyes
either by time of day or exhaustion our bodies go into an altered state.
Perhaps the darkness will bring
rejuvenation and a blissful feeling welcoming a new dawn. Perhaps the act of
sleeping only torments the body to uneasy tossing and struggling through
nightmares.
When traveling, a hotel room is
nothing more than an elaborate bedroom. There are no reservations for the
firmness of the bed, only the size. Sheets that may have been cleaned cover a
bed that hundreds have laid on before you.
In our youth we are given a bed to
grow up on. Once to large to fit in a protective caged crib, we are taught to
“make up” our bed every morning. A night we resist going into a dark room where
frightful things may be lurking. Beds are where books are read to us by our
parents to inspire the mind to dream of pirates, unicorns, and fairies.
The purchasing of a bed is much
like buying a car. Lots of models and price ranges, but they are all made the
same. This one is too soft. This one is too hard. This one is just right.
My first bed, in this home, was
the bed I had as a child. The bed was one of two that was transformed by my
father from two singles to bunk beds. The bed traveled with me through my first
apartment in college resting on the floor. This bed went back to my parents
when my first wife and I decided we needed more space between us. When that
space increased, I gave her the bed and went back to my ole childhood friend.
After a few years, I decided to move to a larger bedroom and a larger bed. Then
one bed became two beds stacked up on top of each other only a few feet from
the ceiling. Every room in the house was tried and tested as a bedroom until
one matched the size and space needed for two people. To celebrate, a larger
bed was purchased.
A brand new top-of-the-line bed
with softness and space for the expanding family was placed as directed and
assembled. The bed became the location for Sunday morning coffee and
television, the quiet place during illnesses, a scratching post and finally a
crash pad for long nights outside.
So now I can check off an item
that has been on the to-do list for over two years. Tonight I will try to sleep
on the new member of the household while the other cushion where she died is
carted away.
