I am a big proponent of thinking positively, and finding and embracing the silver lining. Sometimes I have to wade through the murky mud of negative thought to get to the silver lining, but I can almost always find it. Over the past 4 years, I have had several surgeries and other medical conditions for which sleeping upright was the most comfortable and often, the only option. I won’t go into details, but suffice it to say, we own the world’s most comfortable armchair. Just this past month, I have spent two weeks sleeping in this comfortable chair. (Truth be told, it is comfortable but it is not as comfortable as my bed.)

From a purely logistical and practical standpoint, this has been a bit challenging for me. I am a creature of habit, so as you can imagine, being displaced from my bedroom was unsettling.

Here’s the silver lining part – my daughter sleeps next to me on the couch. We pushed the two “beds” next to each other, and I get to know that she is sleeping peacefully next to me. There are moments when I think that I shouldn’t let her sleep on the couch, but from her perspective, and in her own words, she feels so lucky to be having the longest sleepover with her favorite person in the world. Needless to say, that makes for one happy mama!

How I can deny her this special time? Truth? How can I deny MYSELF this special time with her? In a few years, I will count myself lucky if she wants to spend so much time with me. For now, I will treasure the time we are together.