Nightstands and aesthetics

Laura was home for a week over Easter.

When Lu is home, we watch a lot of HGTV.  We just do.

So over the last week, among other things, I saw quite a few master bedroom makeovers.

Can I just say?  I do not really have any desire to sleep in the middle of an art project.

One of the bedroom overhauls we watched involved a wall (the "headboard wall") that was covered with small blocks of wood, all in varied heights to create lots of "interest" and "texture".   All I could think was, "That is one massive magnet for cobwebs."  I vastly prefer my walls flat and smooth and not in need of vacuuming.  There are enough things I need to vacuum, and I chafe at the thought of adding walls to that list.

And then the bedside tables.  Oh. my. word.  Bedside tables need to be useful.  I do not want a bedside table that is a circle of glass precariously balanced on a winding hunk of driftwood and ornamented with a sophisticated array of candles and glass balls.

I want nice, sturdy nightstand with a drawer where I can keep stuff I need.

I want a simple nightstand with a top surface where I can keep more stuff that I need, and useful things like an alarm clock, something that will play music, and a lamp.

You see, I feel quite strongly that it is nicest to be able to stay in bed once I have arrived there.

(I did not do very well as a mother of babies who did not sleep through the night.  The best thing about that phase of life is that it passes.  It may pass like a kidney stone, but it does pass, and most of us survive.)

So.. since it is nicest to be able to stay in bed once you have gotten there, you can stock your nightstand to facilitate that goal.  Here is a list of things I like to keep on my nightstand:

• A glass of water.  To be exact, I keep a half of a glass of water.  A half glass has always been plenty.  It balances better and is less apt to spill.  And if it does spill, it is less water that has spilled.
• My cell phone.  Ever since my kids have begun ceasing to live at home, I like to keep my cell phone next to my bed at night.
• My Bible.  And other books.  Lots of books, probably too many.  Definitely too many to suit a designer.
• A pencil and some notecards or scratch paper.  That way, if I find that I am worrying about something that I need to remember for the morning, I can write it down and then go back to sleep.  (I keep these in the drawer.  I also keep chocolate in the drawer.  Shhhhh.)
• My eye ointment.  I keep this right by my bed, because I always hope that I won’t need it.  However, I have dry eyes, and at night they get sticky.  I almost always need my eye ointment, and it is very handy to have it right there within reach.  Other people may have other medications or pain relievers that they like to keep nearby: menthol gel rubs, or aspirin or hand lotion for dry, cracked hands.  Personally, I like to have my eye ointment.

What do you like to have nearby when you go to bed?