Make Your Bed - Sunday Selfie

Awhile back, Adm. William H. McRaven started a commencement speech this way, "If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed."

I never saw the sense of making my bed until the last decade. After all, you're just going to climb into that same bed in a few hours anyway. 

The first thing to change my mind and my habits was noticing the delight of climbing into a bed after I change the linens. "Ahhh," I think as I sniffed the sun dried scent. "Clean sheets."  

After that, I made my bed more days than not.

Then I read one of those little motivational commentaries that our search engines toss up every day. It assured me that making my bed would revolutionize my life, even if I made the bed 5 minutes before I climbed in for the night!  That's crazy talk!

So I make sure my bed is smooth and nest before I climb in at night. Here are 5 ways that making my bed makes a difference in my day.

1. I feel cared for. Hub and I sleep in separate rooms because of back conditions and huge snoring issues - both of us snore hugely!  So, why bother?  The fact that I do bother means that someone cares enough to make my bed. Sure, that someone is me. I still feel that I am worth caring for. Make your bed.

2. That piece of discipline, if done early in the day, sets me off in a "getting things done" mode. I get the message that the day has started. Make your bed for a good start to your day.

3. I do get more things done. Once that bed is made, I don't want to waste the effort by climbing back in. So, I go do other things - like writing a blog post, or cleaning, or walking or hanging out with the Man, Make your bed to feel like you accomplished something.

4. The habit of bed making gave me permission to buy a lovely hand-quilted quilt. Spreading that quilt across my bed every morning makes me feel rich. Hand-quilted quilts can cost hundreds, if not thousands,  of dollars. The fact that I bought mine at a church Christmas Bazaar from the Quilting Group for not-so-much does not matter. Each morning as I toss that quilt out like a fisherman casts his net, I feel like the quilt is catching and keeping the blessings that come from a group of women all stitching at the same frame.  Make your bed beautiful. Find something lovely to spread on your bed and you will want to look at it every day.

5. I sleep better. I do. And on the nights that sleep evades me, the neatness of my bed reminds me that I am fortunate. Make your bed. Make YOUR bed. You HAVE a bed. You are blessed.