High Tech Pillow

Everyone knows one of the most difficult things about being a military spouse is the long distance separations. Whether it is bootcamp, school or a deployment there are long stretches of time when you are forced to be apart. Any long distance relationship can be wearing and sometimes the worst part is going to bed at night. Since Ryan has been away at school our Queen sized bed is too big. Half of it is cold and very empty. I try to fill it by stuffing his side with Bentley and Mutsy, my childhood stuffed rabbit and dog that wear one of Ryan's shirts. I make sure his voice is the last one I hear before bed... but it is not the same as him lying there with his arms wrapped around me.

I was facebook and on my super duber stalker newsfeed I saw my friends Aliee and Connie posting about this. Connie is a mom to a toddler who misses sleeping with her little boy some nights and Aliee had found this article and shared it. I promptly jumped in on the conversation. Could you imagine having a high tech pillow glows and pulses to your long distance loves heartbeat?



There are two pillows. When person A lays their head down on pillow 1, person B has their pillow 2 glow, and vice versa. Putting on a ring transmits your heartbeat.



My first thought was, "Wow... that is pretty creepy."

My second thought was, "Wow... I kind of want one."

I miss sleeping with my husband. I love the glowing idea, to know when his head is resting on the pillow next to mind. The heartbeat I could do without! I did share this with some military spouses on facebook and reactions were pretty similar to my own! One very wise milspouse even wondered "What if during the night one of us has a nightmare or something and wakes up to a fast beating pillow with no explanation?" Good point.



True there is the creep factor and the nightmare factor... but I cannot help but think it would be comforting. It doesn't mention fully how it works (like if it needs wireless or phone signal or what have you) but it does mention it is an insert that goes into a normal pillow and has a ring that you wear with it. Either way the product is not available yet. The company is UK based and is still looking for funds to kickstart the manufacturing process. But who knows, maybe they will be here sooner than we think! They have a paypal option on their website if you want to contribute and if they get enough (and you give enough!) you can be an early tester.


What do you think? Creepy? Cool? Creepy and cool and I want one regardless?




(PS - Little Riot does not know me or know I did this post. I did not get compensation for mentioning them or anything of the sort. They do not know I exist. Just a commentary from me! Pictures and information mostly from here.)

Orders Continued...

Thank you all for your kind words.

I know our decision is not going to be something all of you agree with... but it doesn't matter. We made this decision together and think it is best. I got home from work and we sat down. We talked out both. We crunched numbers. We talked options. We went outside and talked to our neighbors (one of whom is in the Army and his wife is in Louisianna and he is here, for two years). Then we talked more. There were tears. We changed our minds. Then changed them back again.

But deep down we know we made the right decision in the end.

Ryan will go to 29 Palms for 8 months. I will be here.

He will focus on school, live in the barracks and study and not be distracted. I will work, contribute way more financially than I could otherwise, and be in Virginia. We will call, text, email and skype.

It sucks.

Going into this the orders were originally unaccompanied. This is what we planned for. Then to have the option threw a wrench at us. I love my husband and he loves me, we talked this over and over. I won't put our discussions here in detail, but we have many reasons for each side and this was our decision.

Please keep us in your prayers these next few weeks, if you don't mind. Ryan is checking out of the barracks next week and going on leave a bit. I will try and get a few days off before he goes to California and just spend it with him.

We can do it.