Lessons from My Duvet Bed Cover

Sometimes there are lessons in everyday living that open your eyes to bigger, more important messages. I have found that to be so more times than I might like to admit.

Cleaning out (closets, drawers, rooms) is something you may be doing more often than you used to. I know I have been doing it more these last few years. One area that called to me was my linen closet of old, worn towels and bedding. Last Christmas I asked for a set of new, really nice sheets for our bed. And that was the beginning.This year, as we moved into Fall, I knew my 18-year-old, much-loved, specially made duvet needed to be replaced. It just was time! We had changed what was under the cover, now it was time for a change on the outside.

You know how you know that moment? Whether inner or outer –  it’s time for a change!

After talking with a friend and seeing trends for colors and bedding I thought, “I am going to go with this latest look.” Current colors are neutral and gray and blue.  Hang on … I must tell you … nothing in my bedroom or house is gray, blue, or neutral. That should have been my first clue.

Due to the pandemic, stores have a limited selection right now. So, I powered up the computer and dove into the deep hole of online browsing. Even with filters, it took hours. I would sneak in looking at duvet covers in between work commitments or at night when watching TV. I started looking like everyone else, obsessing over my screen.I looked for a fairly neutral duvet and couldn’t find what I liked or what thought would work. Finally, after nearly a month of searching, I found a small store with a duvet displayed that I thought might fit in well. Of course, it wasn’t in stock. Shipment to the store was a four-week wait.

When it arrived, the spread was a different shade than it had appeared on display and was predominately gray. Apologetically, the salesman shared how the lights on the store duvet affected the color. He steered me to a neutral champagne color duvet which I had seen before but wasn’t sure about.Rather than trust my intuition, I took it home. I was ready to get this duvet cover saga done with. Upon opening it in the room it instantly was apparent that this color would not work with the carpet.  It went back to the store to be returned.

I was downhearted as I had looked online for hours. But I got back on the computer and started to look again. Something had clicked for me and I set the parameters a bit differently.It didn’t take too long to find a lovely duvet that seemed to fit all my requirements and the colors in the room. My husband loved it. I clicked to order and learned delivery would take 3 weeks. Yikes! Why??? From New York to Florida??? This had now gone for 9 weeks.I was so excited at finding exactly what I wanted and was sure it would work. It would be worth the wait. It was contemporary, but so ‘me’ and my house. It was filled with color.

I tracked the package and to my delight, it arrived at Federal Express in St. Petersburg – 45 minutes away from me – 9 days early. I had waited 11 weeks for this moment. I called FedEx to see if I could pick it up in St. Pete. I was willing to drive. I had other items waiting and I was anxious to see if they worked with this duvet.

My interference in their process, which started with the call to say I would pick it up, cost me at least an hour and a half of time on subsequent calls with Federal Express over the next week. I became frustrated, checking online, concerned that it would get shipped back to New York. I feared I would spend even more time trying to get this package which all of a sudden had a hold and an investigation on it.In the end, I got the duvet two days earlier than the original delivery date. It looks great and I’m happy I went with the colors and style that are ‘me’ and made me happy.

Was all my trying to go with crowd – or be trendy – or do what others were doing– worth it? Was my impatience and meddling in the delivery process worth it? NO!The lessons or reminders from the duvet debacle are important messages to me and vital for all of us as we move forward in our changing, very uncertain world.

It’s critical for each of us to know what is under our “covers”. Do you still have an old duvet cover on? Are there storylines or worries that need to be replaced? Or are you hiding your truth under the covers if it doesn’t coincide with the truths and beliefs of others?

Right now, and moving forward, it’s imperative and important to BE who we truly are. For the world to shift and to expand or move into new ways of being we all must be open and be in integrity within ourselves and with others. We need to find that sense of peace inside while the outside world is in chaos.

But you don’t have to BE like everyone else. I would have saved time and energy if I had originally searched for what fit my room and soothed my soul color-wise. All of us are unique sparks of light that reflect the different colors of our Source. We each are a piece of the puzzle or the musical note in a beautiful symphony.

Big, big duvet lesson. There is NO pushing of an outcome. If you try to it won’t work! No matter how much you wish for change, no matter how excited you are envisioning a future that may be positive, or desire to connect with someone, or want something to be done already, it’s important to have the patience to let it unfold the way it needs to for the optimal outcome. I was fortunate it was only a duvet, not something profoundly important that could have been life-changing and moved in a direction I wouldn’t have chosen.

Most of the time waiting and following your inner impulse and intuition is easy, but we all have times when we lose our connection rather than trusting ourselves. It’s vital to:

• “Listen” to your body’s intelligence and/or those inner whispers
• Stand firmly in the unique light you radiate and follow your path
• Trust divine timing without pushing as things unfold with more grace

Walking my path, while I remember the messages of my duvet bedcover,

Bonnie