You’ve made your bed; now lie in it. ~ Anonymous
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. ~Benjamin Franklin
If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. ~ Admiral McRaven
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Most people my age have plenty of experience buying new furniture, but for me it’s a remarkable feat. For years – make that decades – most of my household furnishing were either my husband’s property (from his bachelor days) or hand-me-downs. He owned some nice pieces and cared more about making our home beautiful than I did.
That’s why when we separated a few years ago, he took most of the furniture with him.
I’ve slowly been filling in the empty spaces of my house. Curb-alerts from the neighborhood list serve are a favorite. My couch, coffee table, side tables, living room rug, side chairs, lamps, and kitchen table were all offered at a very low price or free. I’ve cleaned, re-upholstered, or covered many items; now they’re all mine.
Some people think it’s weird to buy used furniture, but it gives me great pleasure that every single piece has a little story.
That’s why, when I bought a new bed recently, I felt like a kid going off to college for the first time. It felt momentous. It felt like a real transition. A new bed represents something. An indulgence. A necessity. A new beginning.
I’d been sleeping on my son’s old bunk bed mattress since before my separation. It was past time for a change.
My horoscope this month says that I’m entering a two-year period where I’ll turn inward in a rare introspective phase and lay the foundations for what’s to come. What does it mean? I’m not sure. But I’m getting a good night’s sleep night after night after night. And it feels really good.
Eva K. Sullivan 