Sunday Scribblings: Bed

Since "bed" is the prompt this week, I shall write about MY bed. My bed has taken on many forms over the years. When I was young, I slept in a single bed, sharing a room with my sister. And for a short while, we actually shared a double bed! I think that was a disaster. After leaving home, I usually had a double bed all to myself, other than when I was in a dorm.

My favorite beds have been on backpack trips, sleeping in a sleeping bag, on a foam pad (later years, on a Thermarest) under the stars. I love sleeping out under the stars, just lying there watching them twinkle in the dark sky. The expanse of the night sky is so enormous, and with a chill in the air, I love cuddling down in my sleeping bad, feeling safe, warm and secure.

Sometimes my bed has been a yak hair mat. These are actually quite comfortable. While they are a little smelly, they are OK to sleep on. Sometimes in China, I have had a straw-filled mattress. These are really terrible, as they are hard, and it is difficult to get really comfortable. And sometimes, I have slept on a Tibetan mattress with a khaden (Tibetan for “rug”) on top. These are really comfortable. While wider than a single bed, they are not quite as wide as a double bed. The Tibetan mattress is about 3” thick, and the khaden is usually hand woven and really plush, so it makes for a great sleep.

My bed has taken me to many places. From sleeping in a bed and breakfast in Dublin, Ireland, to youth hostels in Berlin, to beach parties in Baja, to tea houses in Nepal, to sleeper trains in China, … while trekking in the Himalayas, or climbing the peaks in Mexico, or backpacking in the Altai of Kazakhstan… It doesn’t matter where I go. The important thing about a bed is to sleep in MY bed.