Pillow Talk

Never underestimate the power of pillow talk.

I've been married to my husband for 16 years. Prior to our wedding, we went out for almost eight years. One thing that has helped keep our relationship intact is communication. We talk about anything and everything under the sun, the moon, and the stars.  And more often than not, we do this right at the comfort of our bed just before nodding off to sleep.

At times, we discuss big things - our still unfulfilled dreams, significant plans for the future and our family, ideas for the improvement of our business, and other profundities that may or may not turn out to be life-altering.

But more often, we simply chat about the most mundane trivialities. We discuss encounters we've had during the course of our day... a client's improbable demand, a friend's hilarious Facebook post, a mischievous prank pulled by our son, a cool show discovered on Netflix, a hyped-up restaurant that fell below expectation. Nothing is off topic - politics, showbiz, sports, work, religion, the weather. We just go on, taking turns speaking and listening. His new haircut, my blue nail polish, his motorcycle trek, my shopping adventure, his aching shoulders, my tired feet.  We rave, we rant, we argue, we listen, we laugh, we sigh, we ramble, we smile. We pray. We dream.

The result is cathartic. We find that being able to let things, big or small, off our chests brings about lulling comfort and a soothing lightness of being. A fitful sleep is the reward. Usually, it is only upon waking up the next day that we realize we dozed off mid-conversation. 

I read somewhere that relationships are harder these days because conversations become texting, arguments become phone calls, and feelings become status updates. Don't allow yourself to get sucked into that walled and filtered mire. 

Log off, lay down, grab a pillow and start talking.