Sleep in Heavenly Peace

It’s tricky to find just the right timing for the best night of the year. It cannot be too warm, but it also must not be too cold, or the night loses its uniqueness. I picked yesterday, and the night turned out perfectly.

My preparation began with changing the bed linens, as well as turning the mattress. I took the sheets from the dryer while they were still warm and remade the bed, adding the totally fluffy and cozy blanket for the first time this year. On top, the quilted bedspread made its appearance, along with the heavy crocheted afghan, the one with the deep burgundy roses, that I made a dozen years ago. All of the extra bed pillows got not just a fluffing, but a shaking outside, as well as new cases.

During the day, a light sprinkling rain fell, so soft and gentle that I hardly felt it as I walked the dogs. For a solid two hours, a radiant double rainbow arched across my end of the valley, spectacular in its brilliance and endurance. It connected the snow falling on one mountain with the rest of the range traveling eastward. Where the ends touched the ground, it truly appeared golden.

In the past, I began my evening with a long soak in a hot bathtub, but this past year, removing myself from a bathtub is analogous to raising the Titanic from the ocean depths, so I took a hot shower instead. After a good dry-off, I reached for the flannel jammies, soft from all the washings last winter. As I pulled them on, I knew that this was just the beginning of wearing the winter pj's.

I stayed up until 10:00 pm, then locked up the house, gave the dogs a hug, and headed toward nirvana. Removing the bed pillows and pulling down the quilted spread, I became anxious to see if the first feel of the winter bedding would be as glorious as I remembered. My feet reacted to the initial coolness of the sheets, but as I stretched myself full length under the covers and pulled them up to my chin, my body sighed in relief. Snuggling, I felt myself relaxing for the first time in months as the blankets cocooned me and began warming me to sleep.

The best night of the year is the night it’s actually cold enough to enjoy a warm, snuggly bed, complete with the weight of bedding that feels not just comforting, but allows me to relax completely, fall sleep, and sleep in heavenly peace.