Bedgasm (Odd Socks #12)
That slip-into-bed, ooh-feeling finally has a name... the art of puttering... plus Laughs, Insights
Welcome to Odd Socks Issue #12
I write here about stuff that interests me, puts a smile on my face, or could use some clarity amidst the noise. Each issue includes two original articles plus four bonus sections. Enjoy!
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Bedgasm
There are lots of moments in our lives that pass by quickly, yet bring a dollop of joy to our days. Walking in the woods on a cool, spring day hearing the forest sounds talk to you… getting a perfect cup of coffee in that coffee shop with perfect ambiance… lying in bed listening to a thunderstorm while feeling safe and sound in bad.
And then there’s The Bedgasm.
Admittedly, I just learned this name for the wondrous feeling when one first slips into bed, snuggles down, and has that rush of mellow endorphins coursing through the body eliciting an audible “Aaah…” from your lips.
Silly name for a seriously cool sensation, but that’s fine. I’ve enjoyed these periodically for years without having a “label” to the sensation. And I notice on those nights when this visitor shows up, I have a great and deep sleep, waking refreshed in the morning. Could there be a connection? Seems so.
Back in those days when I had an electric mattress pad cover, winter nights had more of these aaah moments. These days, bereft of such decadence, I slip my large, rectangular heating pad under the covers by my feet five minutes before I slip between the sheets. Since I don’t wear socks to bed, the pad warms my cold tootsies which often triggers the bedgasm. That, and the five layers of blankets making the bed toasty (my housemate insists on a 60° nighttime thermostat, thus five is the magic number).
Sleeping as one ages is an odd artifact of this human timeline. The more we age, the less we sleep. I’ve become an extreme morning person in the last ten-ish years, regardless of when I finally nod off the night before. Not uncommon to be up drinking the first cup of coffee (or tea, if feeling more contemplative that early) before 5 a.m.
Nonetheless, I’ll take more bedgasm moments over sleeping in any day.
I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know? — Ernest Hemingway
The Art of Puttering
I’ve worked with his hands most of my life. Being mechanical, and curious about how things work, I learned the art of fixing stuff and building hacks, jigs, and other process improvement helps to organize things better, plus (the holy grail of stuff) FINDABLE. Nothing irritates me more than doing a project and enduring delays because I can’t find a part or tool I know I have.
Puttering is to pursue, with an unhurried, pleasant manner, any number of small tasks, while being in a state of mindfulness focused on the doing and not the goal.
While always an organized nerd, I never tasted what ultimate organization until I retired and thus had extra time. Now I seem busy all the time doing something, and especially with the newly launched online stationery store. Even so, I’m fortunate to own my time and can putter at will. Puttering at your own speed is bliss. while puttering to a deadline is, well… work.
My puttering expertise came in quite handy over the last three weeks. As part of the shop, I’m also setting up a paper bindery in half of my shop space, where I can create and make paper-based stationery goods. Since that effort takes a lot of cool (but kinda weird) equipment, tools, and processes, a different organization approach is necessary. There’s an obvious process between all the pieces of equipment, thus there’s an order to what comes before what. And true to puttering pleasure, taking my time to set things up just right has been fun. One doesn’t measure such projects by the days to complete, but by uncounted hours lost in the pleasure of puttering.
I remember my days ways back when I was into sailing, even earning a charter captain’s certification up to 33’ yachts. Problem was, I was really into working on the boat more than I was in casting off the lines, hoisting the sails, and wandering around the lake. Seems the process and puttering was my passion, less so the work of sailing.
That contrast will not repeat itself in the weeks and months ahead as I hand make notebooks, memo pads, and perhaps some other interesting stationery paper crafting. My passion for all-things-stationery melded with my earned puttering (and crafting) “merit badges” ensures this new venture will be a fun experience.
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