How many of us remember actually looking forward to sleeping on the floor? Anyone? It was fun to sleep on a couch or really, in any weird place that was reasonably comfortable.  

We camped once and slept on the ground. No foolin’. Thinking about sleeping on the floor, ground or even a couch makes me cringe with pain as I type this.

These days, even your bed needs to be just right.  Michelle and I finally admitted we needed a new mattress and splurged on a higher-end mattress we still can’t afford, deciding to spend the money so we could wake up feeling no pain. 

The mattress arrived in grand splendor and was so anticipated we spent some time just staring at it. It will most likely take some time for us to have a good review of the mattress, so I’ll have to get back to you.

It’s just funny to me that I have finally reached the age where a good bed is even more important than many other things that used to take top priority.

I remember going to my grandmother’s house. The cousins would venture upstairs and see my grandmother’s bed, probably one she’d had for several years, with a thick sheet of plywood under the mattress.  

I used to ask her about it and she’d always remark she needed that hard surface under her mattress to help her sleep comfortably. It seemed incredibly strange and foreign to me.  At the time, it seemed like my grandmother was like one of those snake-charmer guys who wore a turban and slept on pointy spikes.

Now, I totally get it.

We did a week or so research and we spent time sending messages to our friends who were in our age range. We scanned consumer reports and tried to distinguish between true recommendations and paid for ads on the internet. 

Much work and questioning went into choosing between “firm,” “semi-firm” and “softer” type mattresses and we even chatted with a mattress rep online. It was not something we took lightly.   

Even at age 51, I still don’t feel I’m grown-up enough to buy something as important as a mattress, let alone have the money or at least the credit score to make payments. I expect someone older and wiser to come in and do all the selecting for me, knowing all the ins and outs of mattress purchasing and furthermore, knowing just the right fit for my wife and me.

If only.

I do look forward to mornings of waking up without back pain or any “cricks” in my neck. I am ready to give up on trying to appear young and finally embrace the days when I talk with other peers about the aches and pains of life. Now we will add “I bought a good mattress” to the mundane conversations.  

Hopefully I’ll be able to say that. We have 100 days to test the darned thing out.

Like I told you, it was an expensive purchase for us. We thought long and hard and saved our pennies before we took the plunge.  I still look at it and have a little twist in my stomach when I think of the price.  My friends who purchased a similar model assure us it’s the best thing they ever bought.

But I still think, for the price, the darned thing should roll you out to the kitchen in the morning, deposit you at the table and at least serve you a cup of coffee.