Comfortably Uncomfortable: The Bed We Make

So after three nights in an unfamiliar single bed in Ft Lauderdale, one night in the single bed I slept the first 12 years of my life in, and a night in a hand-me-down queen bed that resides in my brother's room, last night was my first night's sleep in the bed I have come to know over the last 10 or so years. While my bed doesn't rank very high on the list of most comfortable places in the world, or my apartment, and I'm pretty sure the bed that sits nearly alone in my brother's room is far nicer to lay in, I still prefer the contours that I retire to on a nightly basis. So I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that its not how comfortable something is, but how comfortable you are with it. At least for me. And I'd imagine for some of you too.

So this little comfort thought got me thinking. How many other facets of life can this theory be applied to?

I polled 100 people on the street, asked them what is something that you find the most comfortable, even when there are other options that are supposed to be better at comfort? Survey saaaaaays:

Bed, number one answer. 65% of the answers. Second on the list, jeans. Jeans something that can easily be worn into. Number three, shoes always take on a personality of their own. Fourth on the list, significant others at 7% of the answers. And a lonely 1 person said a baseball glove.

Okay I didn't poll anyone, but those all seem like legitimate options. They all qualify as something that increases in comfort as time passes, emerging with a new identity, and ultimately satisfying your need for the safe and warm feeling that you look for. People wear their jeans from faded spots to heinous rips, attempting to sew, patch, hem, or doing anything possible to keep those blue jeans hanging off your backside. I've worn shoes for 6 years, worn off every speck of tread, parts of the spongy sole, through the sidewalls, past three shoelaces, and through two pad inserts. What? They were really comfortable and I loved the look. Sue me. Someone you're dating is a bit of a stretch, but the same idea. You try all you can, use patches, and ultimately try to salvage something because you're reluctant to find someone new. People feel more comfortable in certain people's arms. That may mean that those people are the 'ones that are supposed to be,' but it still fits the bill of something you become comfortable with after a duration of time. And of course a baseball glove. No glove feels better than the one you played in for years, spit on, hurled against a dugout, kicked through the dirt, and gloved thousands of ground balls, fly balls, and fast balls.

So what does this all mean? It means that sometimes, lying in a comfortable bed, my cat roaming around the room, window open with gorgeous 65 degree winds coming in, and the calm tapping of the rain easing my dreams, all I need is the train to go by, screeching and shaking, before I can get a good night's sleep.