How often do we find refuge under the covers? It became clear to me the other night when I woke up, perhaps from a bad Dream and the covers were hanging off the bed and I was cold. Pulling them up, way up toward my face and over my head I immediately began to feel better. My heart stopped racing and I was able to relax and fall asleep again.

The following day I started mulling over the whole idea about covers and why they make us feel safe when we are feeling vulnerable.

I remember a long time ago my father telling me about a dream he had one night, I suppose it really was a nightmare. He said in the dream he woke up from a deep sleep and the house was shaking and he knew it was an earthquake, he thought I better get out, better get my wife and kids out of the house. But he told me later what he did instead in the dream was lie back down and pull the covers up over his head.

I used to have a lot of nightmares when I was a child. I had a lot of scary nightmares about dinosaurs. No doubt because my older brother told me frightening stories about dinosaurs and how they were going to take over the planet. It was always such a shock to wake from those dreams with the feeling that those dinosaurs were right outside your window. I distinctly remember being too scared to even move but I knew if I was under the covers I would be fine. The dinosaurs could not get to me if I was under the Blankets.

Even trying to fall asleep as a child I remember sometimes feeling frightened or scared by something, I had a very active imagination and would often wonder if someone or something was just right outside my bedroom window. I would lie stone still in my bed with those blankets right over my head. I would not let one inch of me outside the blanket for fear that if I did I would be grabbed and taken to a place I feared I would never be able to get out of. Those blankets I can safely say protected me from those nasty, scary things who perched themselves in my imagination and spent nights haunting me.

And what do I do now when I am tired or scared? Now that I am a full fledged grown woman, where do I go for refuge? A place that offers peace in a world that moves sometimes way to fast? I lie in bed and get under the covers, hiding for the moment from all the stresses of life. It is the best feeling in the world. To be hidden far away from all the demands of daily life, to rest my head and unwind under the covers.

And when you’re sick where do you want to be? Under the covers. Shivering and miserable, finding your way to your bed relieves the pain of aching muscles and sore joints from fever. Finding solace under the covers warms your heart and soul. Feeling safe and comforted by those blankets over your head helps you heal faster.

Whenever I encounter a sick child whether it is mine or someone else’s child I always feel better if they have a blanket or something over them to help console them. There is just something innately wonderful about having blankets over us when we are out of sorts.

In this hectic and crazy world isn’t it lovely to know there is one place in the world where nothing can touch you not even the monsters under the bed.

Photo Credit

Photo by Vanina W. on flickr – Some Rights Reserved