I find the strangest things
to be treats for me. For example, last
night, I had a real treat. I slept on
the couch. And yes, I found that to be a
treat.
Growing up, my dad slept on
the couch a lot. Not because he was in
trouble with my mom or any of those stereotypes you think of when the man is
forced to sleep on the couch in a story or television show, but usually because
he would stay up watching television so late that he would be the last one in
the room still watching, and he’d just fall right asleep where he sat. So, on days that I stayed up later than him,
or days that he wasn’t home, and days when I didn’t have to wake up for school,
I would carry my blanket out to the couch and make my own little nest to sleep
in. I had full control of the television, and I could stay up or fall asleep at
my choosing. It’s true; we did have a
very comfortable couch, so that made it an extra treat in itself, but it was
also that I got to sleep out there where my dad normally slept. For some reason or another, that was a privilege
to me.
No one sleeps on the couch
in our apartment. In fact, most nights
the living room is left abandoned as we go about our separate paths, trying to
be productive in our own unique ways. But last night the roommate who lives
right off the living room was out of town—and I had no one to disturb.
So I pulled out my
comforter, put on my copy of The Princess
Bride, and hunkered down into my own little nest to watch a movie I loved
and to stay up or fall asleep at my choosing.
And frankly, it’s probably
the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long, long while.
<3
I do that, too! Last year, when Jamie was gone overnight, I would often sleep on the couch. It felt less lonely for some reason. That hasn't happened yet this year, because there's always someone else around in my house.
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