Under the Covers

Today I took some time to engage in an afternoon nap. This is something I can do because:
a) I am currently on spring break and
b) I am fully aware that in one month I won't be able to see straight as I'll be scarily busy
so why not sleep a bit now!

The thing about the matinee sleep is how awesome it feels. First of all, I have the best fabric combination going on in my bed at the moment. I have my T-shirt fabric sheets on the bottom and my duvet + vellux blanket mix on top. It is a haven of sensory joy. And then I strip down and settle into all that soft fabric. You see, I'm a very tactile person. I think the sense of touch is the most influential for me beyond sight - and sliding into a perfect-temperature bed is one of my greatest loves. And it made me realize how important touch is to my happiness.

We all know how important it is to hold infants as they grow. It is vital to their development that they be cuddled. But what happens to us when we get older? What happens when we go without being held for a long time? I grew up in a hugs-filled home. I have also been fortunate to work in a number of familial work environments wherein hugs were the norm for greetings and goodbyes. But recently, I find that my hug quotient has diminished over time. I have full days where I don't even converse with people let alone have human touch and even less often engage is loving (platonic or otherwise) embraces. And I know it is having a negative affect on me. So my bed has become my surrogate hugger. It keeps me warm as I wrap myself in the fantastic folds of warmth. I feel safe and secure as I cuddle myself in my bed and sink into the cotton. It's not as good as those moments when you can let your weight fall into another person and feel them weigh into you until you reach that balancing point but it'll do.