With Arms Open

There’s an old superstition that to have a good sex life, your bed shouldn’t be pushed up against the wall. The idea behind it is that if only one person can climb into your bed (because only one side is open) then there’s only ever going to be one person in your bed. You’re also not supposed to have the foot of your bed facing the door because that’s how they carry you out when you die, but that’s another superstition entirely. Now, my bed happens to be firmly wedged into the far corner of my bedroom. No feet towards the door, but there certainly isn’t any way for someone else to get in there. It’s also tiny and has a pile of stuffed animals and pillows taking up quite a bit of space. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there really isn’t any room in there for anyone but me. And until very recently, that’s exactly the way I liked it. But times, they are a-changin’.

After a weekend visiting my parents, I stood in my apartment and surveyed the scene. It was partly to make sure there wasn’t anything breakable near the couch, just in case I got a little overzealous while screaming at the TV during the Super Bowl. But it was also with an eye towards the future…and what I was now hoping was the not too distant future. The question I asked myself was: would I want to bring someone here? Is this a place that I’d be proud to show off? The answer was obvious as I thought back to a couple weeks ago while I pushed a guy out the door and grumbled, “This is why no one is allowed in my apartment!” My bed was against the wall, both literally and figuratively.

(continue)