Laughter The TMS Bed

[andy64tms]

Posted previously on the other Forum, Only Tennis Tom Laughed...

The TMS Bed:
In our household of my wife and me, no one is charted to make the bed. We have an unwritten agreement that we never actually made verbally that someone make the bed.

We both feel and agree that the bed should be made, and if someone has not made it by midday, we both get edgy thinking the other one is going to make it.

Psychologically we send messages to each other via the bed. I apologize for a misdemeanor by making the bed 5 days in a row; she has to make the bed only once to apologize.

Sometimes we jointly make the bed. This is often hard, as of us each is watching the standard by which the bed is being made. We each include hospital corners to maintain a good image to each other.

It’s important to each of us how the throw pillows are thrown. I am OCD particular in nature and have to have them symmetrical, she on the other hand likes to throw them and follows the description by which they are made.

One day she asked me if I had made the bed. I’m a little deaf as I was diagnosed as having hearing loss and tinnitus, possible TMS.

When my wife called to me the other day from the bedroom, I entered the room pulling my pants down in anticipation and excitement. “No she commented. “I said, have you made the bed?” Proof that we only hear what we want to, it’s called selective hearing.

The word “bedroom” is an oxymoron, and since we have a king size Californian, I notice it doesn’t give you any more room as the bed takes most of it!

When I’m in bed I gently scratch my wife’s head at night, it puts her to sleep and when I hear the zzz’s I know I’ve done a good job. The pleasure is really all mine, as I go into a meditative state while scratching. I think this goes back to a comforting relationship I had with Humphrey, (my koala teddy bear) as at the age of 6 he was completely bald.

Andy

 

[Becca]

When my wife called to me the other day from the bedroom, I entered the room pulling my pants down in anticipation and excitement. “No she commented. “I said, have you made the bed?” Proof that we only hear what we want to, it’s called selective hearing.

Hahahahaha, this is fantastic. Selective hearing indeed - perhaps it's wishful thinking made audible?

I do this a lot too. But often I just completely mishear things. You know how some people totally butcher speech (pronunciation of names, foreign words, etc)? My ears just butcher how I hear things. Example: someone said "You're too funny," to me yesterday, and I honest to god thought they said "Thank you." So I said "You're welcome." Certainly made for a good laugh, though - after I got over the initial embarrassment, that is!

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Andy, I laughed too, at your "Bed post."
Obviously, neither you nor wife had been in the military. I was in the army for two years and learned fast that
my bunk had to be made every morning, first thing, and the sheets and blanket had to be "hospital" tucked.
I never married, so I've made my own bed for 84 years. It's no big deal for me to just pull the blanket back,
the top sheet with it, and the pillows under at the head.

I agree with Becca that "butcher speech" may be involved in talking about who makes the bed.
I guess to a perfectionist, bed making can be stressful. I just laugh at thinking that it's starting the day off on the wrong side of the bed.
I think for you and your wife, it would be problem solved if you each stood on the floor on your side of the bed and put the pillows
where they should be, and pulled up the blanket and sheet.

Much ado about nothing, but maybe an example of how one or both of you want to understand each other better,
with no selective hearing.

 

[andy64tms]

Hi Becca,
The benefit of any verbal misunderstanding is that it can be turned into a joke with the right people. Selective hearing is the same as selective reading, and I am sure as a writer Walt
knows this.

Hi Walt,
I learned about hospital corners in boarding school in UK. It was similar to a military, but I’ve also heard it described as “an orphanage for unwanted children”.
Our pillow placing ends up in laughter, sometimes I go back and rearrange the pillows she threw, to see if she notices. What we need perhaps is a written agreement as to who has pillow placing rights.

Andy

 

[Ellen]

What we need perhaps is a written agreement as to who has pillow placing rights.

The Pillow Protocol

 

[andy64tms]

We could call it: “The Perpetuating, Prominent Pertaining Pillow Protocol Proving People Positively Please each other.

Or if you are a government official the “9 Pee agreement”

 

[alexandra]

That's a cute article, I make 3 beds each morning, mine, my daughter and my husbands, we sleep in same bedroom but seperate big beds so we can all spread out like starfish and get good sleep. Haha if I am mad at my husband I make his bed a few hours later. And if ive been frustrated with my daughter I dont smooth out the wrinkles as perfectly as I normally would....Maybe I didn't understand the article but I thought it was cute ☺

 

[Zumbafan]

The TMS bed article made me laugh out loud! Thanks for posting it.
I learnt hospital corners growing up in Australia, as my best friend trained as a nurse. She used to give me lessons when she came round to my house, or I visited hers. I am laughing again at the memories.

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

I learned the hospital bed sheet and blanket routine when I was in the army.
I had to do it right because the sergeant used to toss a quarter on the bed and it had to bounce,
which meant the bed was tight.
I'm not so good at it anymore, so don't toss a quarter on my bed.