“Lectrology, the study of the bed and its associated surroundings, can be extremely useful and tell you a great deal about the owner, even if it’s only that they are a very knowing and savvy installations artist.”
from Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett
Well, yes, we all know about sex and sleep for energy recovery—separately or together, in no particular order! But for writing and/or personal reasons, think more broadly. What else happens in bed?
- Cuddling, before or after sex or on its own. One can actually hire a professional cuddler, female and/or male, paid by the hour for fully-clothed non-sexual cuddling.
- Getting/staying warm. Also think winter with no heat in the house.
- In many parts of the world, it is customary for entire families to spend any free time in bed together, doing homework, making or repairing tools, or any other relatively stationary work, to conserve heat
- Binge-watching TV (much more comfortable than on a sofa)
- Getting sucked down the rabbit hole of YouTube
- Or Tumblr, Cracked, Buzzfeed, Pinterest, etc.
- Reading: books, magazines, newspapers, electronic devices
- Eating and/or drinking
- Sometimes this is just snacking, but on special occasions one may have a full meal delivered in bed
- Working the Sunday Times crossword puzzle
- Solving sudoku
- Throwing the half-completed sudoku across the room when you realize there are two nines in the row
- Playing a board game (carefully or with magnetic pieces)
- Playing solitaire
- Staring at the ceiling or into the dark and discuss serious issues with your bed partner
- You can do this alone, but then it’s more of a monologue than discussion.
- Hearing a response to your monologue when you think you’re alone…!
- You can do this alone, but then it’s more of a monologue than discussion.
- Indulging in catastrophic thinking about some personal issue, a family matter, and/or the future of humankind
- What is the worst thing that could happen?
- How could that come about?
- And what might it lead to?
- A refuge to escape an unpleasant task or situation by feigning illness
- Often this is only a temporary fix, delaying the inevitable
- Recovering from an actual illness or injury
- Applying ice or heat
- Elevating a body part to reduce blood flow
- Physical therapy exercises
- Practicing modified choreography
- Composing music
- Cower with your head under the covers during a storm or earthquake
- Playing with children or pets
- Having a pillow fight
- Jumping on the bed
- Using bedding to stifle loud weeping, moaning, etc.
- Toss, turn, and knot the bedclothes because you can’t get to sleep
- Often with added frustration if someone is sleeping soundly beside you
- Doing back exercises before getting up for the day
- Nursing a hangover after being knee-walking drunk the night before
- Getting a massage: back, front, scalp, feet, calves, neck—whatever aches, feels good, or is your body-part fetish
- Sleeping excessively, possibly as a symptom of depression, illness, boredom, etc.
- Thinking about plot points or themes for fiction and blog writing
- In this instance, it helps to have a note pad and pen that light up when in use, or a device for dictating notes. Do not trust your memory!
- Talking on the phone, usually for a l-o-n-g time
- Posting to Facebook, Twitter, or other social media
- Sexting – NOT RECOMMENDED
- Doing work/schoolwork, especially in the time of COVID
- Getting bitten (bedbugs, spiders, humans. . .)
- Deleting old emails, cleaning up the in box(es)
- Mentally working out math problems and theorems using a base-6 rather than a base-10 number system
Bottom line: If you can imagine doing it in bed, you probably can—or can come up with a reasonable approximation.
