The Cool Side of the Pillow

By Jeanne Moseley

Can you feel it? It's the cool side of the pillow. At night, regardless of the season, there is definitely one side of your pillow that's ever so much cooler. No doubt, there is some logical explanation for this, but I am not the least bit interested in details. All I know is that it exists, and I am glad. It tends to make me soulful in thought.

Last night as I rolled back the covers and prepared for bed, I found myself checking for the cool side of my pillow. I'm not sure when I began this routine, but some of the most comforting times in my life are tied to the feelings associated with this ritual. And for me, it's an essential beginning to a good night's sleep.

As I drifted away from the day's events, I began to recall the many nights I'd slept at my grandparents' place. My grandfather, a wrestler turned farmer, had every appearance of being the strongest man I'd ever known. And it was there, encircled by his force, I knew with all certainty I was safe from harm's way. I'm not certain I've ever felt such assurance.

And then I remembered sleeping at Aunt Dora's. Because I was the youngest, that somehow granted me the privilege of sleeping in the small daybed on her enclosed porch. There I slept with a white, chenille bedspread topping the crisp linen sheets that covered me.

I was surrounded by cousins soundly sleeping on pallets made from hand-stitched quilts. We thought we'd talk all night, but quickly surrendered to the sleep that can only come from a full day of play. Surely the angels smiled as they hovered over such innocence.

Sometimes I'd sleep on my side so my hand could dangle off the bed -- just close enough for my favorite cousin, Frances, to touch as we all became one in a realm only family can know.

Today, with these recollections safely tucked in my mind, I once again find myself consoled by the cool side of my pillow. While the years have heaped themselves, one on top of another, the safety and contentment of a sleeping child rolls softly over me. And, I'm swept into the night protected by the powerful force of my memories.