365 DW:V2 - Day 3: Pillow Talk

In keeping with the theme of approaching life with a variety of perspectives, I give you Pillow Talk.

There once was a girl named Debbie. She had been sleeping on very old, flat pillows for years. Over time, she started to notice that her sleep was getting very poor and would find herself tossing and turning all night. Some mornings she'd even wake with a sore neck! 

Eventually, a thought popped into her head about new pillows. "I wonder if new pillows would help?"

So after much too much deliberation, she purchased herself some new fluffy pillows.

"I can't wait to go to sleep tonight with my new pillows!!" she thought eagerly to herself.

 

 

Unfortunately, her slumber was not as restful as she had hoped it would be. With a resigned heart she had to admit to herself, the pillows were too full.

 

Debbie felt so disappointed - she was really excited at the prospect of nice new pillows that brought deep, restful sleep. And now that dream was ruined! What was she supposed to do now? Go dig the box they came in out of the recycling bin so she can put in a lot of effort she didn't want to spend to send them back??

 

Yep. She quickly confirmed that was the logical next step and scurried down 4 flights of stairs and outside into the cold to fetch her recently discarded box out of the recycling dumpster. 

After coming back inside, Debbie shared her misfortune with her sister, Janice. Janice quickly started sharing information about her own great pillow she has with a zipper, so you can adjust the filling to the exact amount that is right for you. 

'That's great for YOU, but how does this story help ME?!' Debbie thought to herself, deep in the throws of her pity party.

Then, all of a sudden, something clicked. 

 

"Hey! I could add a zipper and adjust the amount of filling in my new pillows! I know how to sew. I have a sewing machine. I have zippers. . . . and then I will always be able to have the perfect pillow, no matter how my needs change!"

 

Wow, now Debbie was singing a very different tune!

That evening after work Debbie began her pillow transformation. Opening up the seams at one end of each pillow, pulling out a guess amount of filling, and then stitching in a zipper to close everything back up. Debbie felt proud of herself. During the actual task there were some set backs and struggles, but looking at the finished zipper, she saw great work. 

 

 

But craftsmanship was not the goal of this endeavor - it was better sleep! Only time would tell if she had been successful in her efforts. Debbie was excited and nervous for the next morning . . .

 

Debbie awoke in almost the same position as she went to sleep the previous night. Her body didn't feel sore. And she slept soundly all night. IT WORKED!!!

 

----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----

 

It's so easy to forget about the resources we have available to us when we are only paying attention to the problem. However, when we focus on what we WANT instead of what we don't want, it instantly becomes easier to figure out attainable steps to make it happen.