Years ago, Randy and I stayed in a frou-frou hotel, which was a pretty big deal back then. We rarely stayed in hotels at all, and when we did they weren't the kind that gave you shampoo and shaving kits. I can't remember if we were excited or exhausted, but I remember that when the lock flashed green and the door clicked open, we saw a room filled with bed.
I had never seen one bigger; it was a super-king -- emperor -- god of the universe-sized mattress. I launched myself onto it and bounced around, reveling in the elite luxury I was living (as advertised on the dozens of logo-covered laminated cards scattered around the room). After we'd unzipped suitcases, brushed teeth, and undressed, we climbed into bed and switched off the lights.
In the dark I turned to kiss my husband, but I couldn't find him. He was somewhere in the vast expanse of that bed, I knew, but with a tiny surge of panic I realized I couldn't even feel him -- not his weight, not his heat, not his breath. Then his hand found me in the dark and we made a joke of it. If we slept in a bed this big at home we might as well not sleep together at all.
We've been married 11 years and we still sleep on a full-sized mattress. I go to sleep every night knowing that the love of my life won't be more than four inches away until morning.
So when I first heard Amanda Palmer's Bed Song, it reminded me how we'd dodged something dangerous all those years ago, and I was grateful. They just released the new video for the song. It's beautifully done. Watch it, feel it, but hold your hand over your heart. Mine tried to fall out.
