me re: my life

Side by Side

Sleeping by myself took some getting used to, but I got the hang of it. You gotta sleep in the middle of the bed. It's absolutely not healthy to have a side when no one has the other side.


Three years ago, my then-boyfriend and I bought a new mattress (queen size) on Valentine's Day at 9 o'clock at night. While there was really no specific reason that we went to the mattress store on that particular day, and we certainly didn't intend to go home with a mattress that evening, I'm sure it was somewhat amusing for the salesmen. Besides, I think we both enjoyed the trip: I got to haggle with salesmen and he got to bounce around on numerous mattresses.

In reality, what had happened was that a little over a year of 6'5" + 5'10" in a full size bed had just gotten tiresome. I'm all for closeness at times, but sometimes you just need space to actually sleep.

Now my bed has been primarily single occupancy for a year and a half or so, but for some reason I still sleep pretty much exclusively on the right side of the bed. Part of me thinks I should abandon this side-restricted sleeping position and move into the middle, but part of me hates the idea of getting used to that. I understand the reasoning of moving into the middle because sometimes looking over at the empty side makes me a little sad. Not for anyone in particular, just that the emptiness is there. Occasionally when I've neglected to fold my laundry it lives on the empty side and the weight is somehow comforting. In truth, I don't expect I'll be moving anytime soon. I guess there's always the little optimistic or hopeful voice that encourages me to save that side for a future someone rather than resignedly embracing the middle.

posted by Anne @ 8:10 PM