Positivity Corner: A Heating Pad for Comfort
A few years back, before I was married and had a man-shaped oven sleeping beside me, I discovered something about myself: I am comforted by heat. I had injured myself or become ill (I can’t remember these days) and found the need for a heating pad in bed as I recovered.
I lived alone in Chicago in a tiny, cold, studio apartment, so when I no longer needed the heating pad for my injury, I decided to see if it helped keep me warm. Unshockingly, it did. And I had the best night’s sleep in years.
The heating pad, a simple thing that costs $20 turned into a source of comfort, an almost emotional therapy tool as when I couldn’t sleep because of a troubled heart.
I shouldn’t have been so surprised, perhaps, but I was. This heating pad thing helped me sleep even on extremely troubling days. The soft warmth on my belly perhaps drew memories of being comforted by a loving dad who let me cuddle when I was scared or sad. I’m not sure.
Even now, when I cannot sleep, if I pull out that soft heating pad and crank up the heat, pull up the covers, and snuggle in, I’m far more likely to do so and wake up rested and peaceful. In a world full of discouragement and fear, anger and threats, that’s a minor miracle for some of us.
If you’re struggling to sleep, going through challenging times and need some extra comfort, or simply want to get cozy and sleep well, find a soft, pliable heating pad and plug it in. You may find you get the best night of sleep in a long time – oddly, even in warmer months.
Just be sure to have a few layers of fabric between you and it and that the heating pad has an auto-off function if you are taking it to bed with you.
Need more? Check out the MockingOwl Roost’s archives of great stuff.
- There Isn’t Language for This – Creative Nonfiction
- Sharp Edges – Poetry
- Tiffany Takes Flight – Micro-essay
- Memories on a Rainy Evening – Fiction
- Grey Pearl Accordion – Positivity Corner
- The Stranger in Our Bed – Film Review
- Gratitude – Essay
- Morning Tea on the Patio – Positivity Corner
- Gertrude and Alice Go on Holiday – Flash fiction
- afternoon daydream, 1997 – Poetry
Editor-in-Chief of The MockingOwl Roost, Rita Mock-Pike is the granddaughter of aviatrix, Jerrie Mock, first woman to pilot an airplane solo around the world. Rita has found inspiration from her grandmother’s life and flight and pursued many of her own dreams in theatre, podcasting, novel writing, and cooking up delicious food from around the world. She now writes on food, travel, pets, faith, and the arts. She’s happily married to Matt, and faithfully serves the very fluffy kitten queen, Lady Stardust.