October 27, 2017
Dear Everyone:
Now that I have a new bed, it seemed prudent to look into getting new
pillows to go with it. I
don’t know how long I’ve been using the current pillows.
I do know that someone said you should replace pillows every six
months. Something about
hygiene. Probably promoted
by the manufacturers of pillows.
In any case, I decided to look at pillows when I was at the Really Big
Bedroom and Bathroom Supply Warehouse Store.
And that’s when I ran into a problem.
Pillows are specialized now.
When did that happen? ?
Apparently, someone had determined that pillows were required to provide
adequate support for both the neck and head.
And manufacturers were quick to supply different permutations to
that affect. Never mind the
tried-and-true punching and bunching to get the exact shape that worked
best for you.
In other words: Create a
“need” and fill it.
With
feathers, polyester, or both.
It used to be a choice between soft, medium and firm.
Standard or king. Now
the store wanted to know: Do
you sleep on your back, or on your side?
Um, yes. I sleep on my back.
And on my side. And
face up, and face down. And
a lot of other ways. To be
perfectly honest, I sleep like a cross between a
pretzel and a
whirling
dervish. Seriously, I travel
a lot at night.
As a child, I used to envy my little friends who habitually went to bed
with a stuffed toy. I tried
it a few times. The hapless
toy never had a chance. I
would take the little stuffed animal into bed with me in the evening.
But in the morning, the toy was never in the bed.
On the floor, yes.
Under the bed, probably.
Clear across the room, sometimes.
In other words, the poor little thing would do anything,
including launching itself into space, to escape my slumberous
frolicking.
Getting back to the pillows that now require a complete checklist of
preferred sleeping positions:
Being neither, and/or both, a back-sleeper and a side-sleeper
seemed destined to limit my choices considerably.
I put pillows on the back burner, figuratively speaking, for the
time being.
Then the other day, I happened to be in a discount store that sells
everything from groceries to cosmetics to sporting-and-camping-equipment
to underwear-and-clothes to high-end electronics.
And, as I was cruising past the bedding department, I decided to
stop and see what they might have in the way of pillows.
The first thing I spotted was a queen-standard pillow for a mere $39.99.
For a single pillow? Then I realized
that it was 100% goose
down.
Not what I was looking for.
But across the aisle was a large bin overflowing with pillows
manufactured by a well-known bed company.
Pillows which proudly proclaimed, “Perfect for all sleepers!”
Adding: ”Ideal
support for proper head and neck alignment.”
At a fraction of the cost for goose down.
Also, “hypoallergenic”, meaning not made with feathers of any
persuasion. They were even
“guaranteed” for 3 years, ignoring the “every six months” rule.
So, I picked up a couple and brought them home.
Removed the existing pillows and squeezed the new ones into the
pillow cases. They certainly
were a lot “fluffier” than the old ones, which had been compacted to
little more than pancakes.
I kept the old pillows, just in case.
But after the first “test drive” with the new ones, it looks like
a success. I’ll toss the old
ones in the dumpster and I’m set for the next “3 years”, or until I get
another new bed. Whichever
comes first.
Love, as always,
Pete
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