Borrowed Breath

(This is the first entry by Michelle Manthey, the wife of the now INfamous Nathanael Manthey. It is from a journal entry written two nights ago during a bout of insomnia.)

I’m just a tosser-turner, always have been. So it was a great relief to me when I got married to discover that Nathanael is such a great sleeper. However, it seems like whenever I turn toward the center of our bed (in reality, it’s maybe 1 out of 4 times) Nathanael also turns in his sleep toward the center. For me, this cannot be! It’s almost as bad as snoring, to feel someone’s breath on me if I’m trying to sleep! I used to try prodding him to turn-over, or crowding him. I tried all manner of cruelty to get him to flip back from whence he came. (After all, I turned to the center first–it’s mine!) But unfortunately, these tactics rarely worked, and I’d be the one forced to turn back over.

Recently, however, I discovered a new tactic…the “pillow wall.” Now, when Nathanael turns over, I just take my extra pillow off the floor next to me and prop it up vertically in between us! It’s a wonderful method, involving no cruelties to my dear, beloved husband, but I cannot help but laugh each time I do it. It must look so hysterical; husband and wife, “separated” by a pillow in bed! Married life sure is interesting!