I have never been a good sleeper. It only got worse after Mr. Virgo died. I stayed up till all hours, avoiding going to bed because I had to go to bed alone. I’d play computer games all night and fall…exhausted…into bed near dawn only to awaken a couple of hours later. Good sleep hygiene didn’t come for quite some time. But, even when the acute stages of grief had passed, I just couldn’t sleep very well.

I had taken a prescription for years for a mild, non-addictive medication that aided sleep but not long after Mr. Virgo died, the medicine started making me jittery. I tried melatonin and it worked a little then it also began to have an empirical effect and kept me awake. I did sleep better once I got my little camper, TOW-Wanda. That worked great till I had to put her away for the winter and I was back to square one. It wasn’t till I sold the house, traded in little TOW-Wanda for TOW-Wanda Grande, that I accidently stumbled upon the solution to my sleep woes.

When I was outfitting my new camper to live in fulltime, I went into Bed, Bath, and Beyond looking for a comfortable throw for the sofa. This was right when those really, really soft throws were coming out. You know the ones…they kind of look like nubby shearling on one side and the other side feels…heavenly. Like velvet, only softer. I loved it. One night it was pretty cold and I threw the throw on top of the bed. As I snuggled down under the covers, the soft side of that blanket brushed against my cheek and something strange happened. It was almost primal…something deep within me felt such an incredible sense of comfort. I must have had a soft blanket as a child…most babies do. The feeling of that blanket put me to sleep in like…five minutes. I have never, ever in my entire life fallen asleep in five minutes. It always took hours…literally hours to fall asleep. I was in heaven! I could hardly wait to go to bed at night because I knew I’d get to sleep. It was crazy…but it worked.

I am faced with a bit of a problem when I travel. It’s a little difficult to take my “blanky” with me in a suitcase and it’s a bit bulky for the plane. The other day I was in Walmart and decided to check the baby section to see if they had small softies that would be more convenient to travel with and of course…they had a variety. I felt one after the other till I found the perfect one…a pink number that is 30″x40″. Do I feel silly? Heck no! There are lots of things I’ve used for comfort since Mr. Virgo died. I had the fur coat he gave me turned into a throw for my bed. I think it’s fine to use items that belonged to your loved one for comfort, too. A reader told me the other day she had a pillow made from one of her husband’s shirts and sprays it with his cologne. I wore Mr. Virgo’s leather bomber jacket for a couple of years. I use to sleep in one of his shirts. I don’t need those things anymore but I still have them in case I want them in the future. This little soft blanket (and a drop of an essential oil blend for sleep on the bottom of each foot and my earlobes) is just the ticket for comfort and helps me drift off to sleep in minutes most nights.

What are your comforters? Do you have a bedtime ritual that helps you get to sleep? Do you wake up a lot and can’t get back to sleep? Let us know what works for you. We all can use a good night’s sleep!