Today’s prompt: SECRET
I bought the sleep mask pictured above recently.
(I am going to bed exceptionally early (for me) and that creates a disconnect since inevitably I *just* get to sleep when my husband comes in to go to bed and turns on the television. I am not likely to convince him not to do that, so I sought help in the form of a sleep mask.)
When I went to purchase the mask, I thought about the cute masks Tenley used to get when she was a kid. They would have kitten eyes, or some other cute design. I also thought about how much I really don’t like to have anything on my face, and remembered what a huge frustration it was for my mom during her illness to have all the CPAP and BIPAP masks on, how she said she hated having anything on her face.
I couldn’t find a mask locally and didn’t make it to the mall to look at Claire’s, which is (I think) where Tenley got hers, so I headed over to Amazon and researched a few options on the Internet for people who need help getting their environments dark enough for sleep.
It was overwhelming!
So many options.
I was struck among many of the options, though, about the fact that the part that covers the eyes is so BIG. Wouldn’t it make sense for it to be flatter?
It turns out, the design is meant to allow the wearer to still be able to blink.
I suppose that idea has merit.
As I have begun using the mask, besides the fact that it looks like a tiny strapless bra for a small person…
***end of five minutes***
…I am still a bit struck by all that space. In addition, I have a really small face so the mask seems huge even though it is adjustable.
(The reviews also talked in detail about people who found it difficult to sleep on their sides without dislodging the mask. That has been okay for me.)
It is that space that still gets me.
I open my eyes, with plenty of space to spare. My eyelashes aren’t squished and I am looking out into darkness.
That space reminds me of something more permanent than the allowance for blinking and unsmushed eyelashes.
It reminds me how dark our secrets can feel —– trapped behind a barrier that can’t be breached —– floating around and getting in the way of our ability to see clearly —– all because we have chosen to give them room.
Welcome to this week’s Five Minute Friday. Our instructions, via creator Kate Motaung: “Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation.” (But I can’t resist spell checking, as you can imagine.)
Wife of one, Mom of two, Friend of many. My pronouns are she/her/hers.
Interesting parallel between sleep masks and secrets, Paula. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading!
It reminds me how dark our secrets can feel —– trapped behind a barrier that can’t be breached —– floating around and getting in the way of our ability to see clearly —– all because we have chosen to give them room.
This ties the whole thing up so nicely! A lot to think about here. Nice post. I am #27 on fmf
Thanks, Mary. I’ll look forward to visiting your post.
Interesting parallel friend. Great post! And glad you found a mask you seem to like. I’m over in the 4 spot.
Thanks!
The only time I have used a sleep mask is on the AutoTrain, where I need the dark to sleep. And I don’t really sleep, but that’s beside the point. All I could find at the store was these plain ones – like you, I could wish for some imaginative decorations.
Maybe I need to bedazzle it! 🙂
Interesting post on a subject to which many, I suspect, have not given thought.
I have; awhile back I lacerated an eyeball, and having no access to any kind of help had to make an eyepatch. I knew I had to keep it from getting anywhere near (OUCH!) touching the eye, so I cut a circle out of cardboard big enough to cover the orbit, then cut out a ‘pie slice’ and taped the free ends together to make a shallow cone. Voila, no eye contact!
A bit of elastic from a pair of skivvies that had gone into the rag locker, tied through a couple of holes punched in the patch, finished the job. Didn’t look like much, but I wasn’t invited to the Royal Wedding anyay.
And if I were, I would have worn it.
It would have been the fashion hit of the Royal Wedding! (I wasn’t invited either.) Ingenuity results in some pretty creative solutions.