My Favourite Place In The World

The first time I traveled alone was in September of 2002. Not only was I traveling alone, but I was also traveling to ‘THE US’. I was 27 years old but I had always lived a very sheltered life and now I was traveling for work—all alone to a new place. I was going to meet new people and was going to stay in a hotel alone for the very first time in my life. I was excited. I have always wanted to explore the world on my own. Was I scared? I thought—everyone is supposed to be scared traveling alone—so I made myself believe I was scared and apprehensive. So much for the influence of society on how we should behave in situations. But more about that some other time.

My boss was kind enough to put me up in a good hotel so that I would be comfortable. As I walked into my room, the first thing that struck me was the bed. It looked so cozy and inviting. I just sank into my super soft, fluffy bed—dreaming of the good time I was going to have. I decided this was my favourite place in the world! Just in a couple of hours, I had fallen in love with the city and of course, my room :) My colleagues in NYC took me around sightseeing and to the best restaurants and clubs and made sure I had a good time throughout my stay. But they noted that I was missing my husband a lot as, at every restaurant, at every tourist spot I only spoke about how much my husband would have liked being here or about how I can’t wait to be back with my husband. I was missing him a lot! Not surprising as for the first time in 8 years I was away from him for so long. Towards the end of the trip, my colleague asked me “so what did you miss the most being away from home for so long ?”

They were so sure I would say “my husband” considering he was a part of every conversation of mine, but, without blinking an eyelid, pat came my reply “the comfort of my bed!" Not that my bed at home was fancier than the one I was sleeping in this 5-star hotel, but there is something about your bed that makes it the most comforting place in the world.

I am sure we all identify with this feeling. Over the years I have grown to spend way too much time picking the bedsheets and bedcovers for my bed. The quality, color, and print are very important. While how they got along with all the other elements of my bedroom is important, how they made me feel when I walk into the room is of utmost importance. So many times I have walked into bedrooms of family and friends and the busy bed sheet designs and bright colours, clashing with printed curtains just puts me off. We all know colours have an influence on our mood and how we feel. So why would you want bold, busy, bright prints and colours for space which should be calming and relaxing? 

Over the years I have realised how the vibe of a colour or design plays such an important role in our mood. Dark colours are a complete faux pas for me in the bedroom. I feel dark colours make me more anxious. I find whites most comforting—a clean soft white bed sheet is most inviting at the end of a hard day. Probably because a spotless white sheet looks so clean; it just feels so pure it immediately helps you relax and calms you down. And a bit of fabric softener with fragrance while washing the sheets leaves my sheets smelling fresh for days. I agree, maintaining a white sheet is a task. So changing sheets once a week and sending them to the laundry for bleaching once in 3 months ensures my sheets are super clean and sparkling white all the time. But whites all the time can get a bit boring...no? So apart from the white bedsheet, pillow covers, and the duvet, l slip in a printed thin dohar (of course, prints on a white base 😌 ) below the duvet. And I fold the duvet in such a way that it adds a splash of subtle colour making it more classy and inviting. Throw in a couple of coloured cushions matching the dohar, and my room looks straight out of my hotel in New York! And I realised THIS is my favourite place in the world...what’s yours?

Comment below if this post made you feel like she was talking about you.