House guests. You\u2019ve (probably) had them. You\u2019ve (probably) been one. Sometimes they’re delightful energetic boosts that inspire you to mix up your routine, buy you groceries, and make you keep your crib extra neat; sometimes they\u2019re nightmare interlopers who stank up your bathroom, smoke up your trees, and prove they have no home training. Someone sharing your living space so intimately is no small deal, especially for those of us who insist on residing in New York, where guest bedrooms are rare. Anyone who opts to flop at Casa d’Ilka will either be co-bunking or riding my elder couch. Plus I’m specific about who’s allowed in my space on g.p. so, to repeat: a sizeable deal.<\/p>\n
This year has been heavy with houseguestry (both being and hosting) and 99% of my guest-having has been 100% successful, (My guest-being <\/em>bops, obviously. I’m well-bred and have a rep to protect.) which has led to a new realization\/past remembrance of an exceptionally potent and alive thing I have about sleeping with friends. I don\u2019t mean the “adult” definition of \u201csleeping with\u201d, (which can be delightful but is not the point of this post) I\u2019m referring to actual <\/em>sleeping, together, and all its accompanying aspects: sheet negotiation, nocturnal conversations, mutual booty touching, etc. For me, bed-sharing is a character barometer that affects my platonic relationships as much as those marked by romance, and poor sleeping behavior makes me throw that SHARP side-eye. This is a well-earned trait \u2013 one day I\u2019ll tell the story of The Worst Vacation of My Life, but names have to be changed for that and we don\u2019t have time for aliases.<\/p>\n I enjoyed a bed buddy even as a wee boodle, which I imagine stems from being an only child and an unrepentant weirdo. I met my first partner-in-naptime in kindergarten; he was named Robert (not really) and we\u2019d scoot our little cots thisclose<\/em> so we could hold hands as we slept. We had perfectly complimentary palm climates (warm and sunny with 10% humidity). It was adorable. Then life got loud, Robert and I lost each other to different educational trajectories, and all my subsequent naps were solo until undergrad when I found a handful of like-minded loons and was able to finally re-surrender to group snoozin’.<\/p>\n