Month Six: A Sense of Security

The other night I woke up during the middle of the night certain that there was a large snake in the bedroom. I was in that strange state of consciousness that is halfway between awake and asleep. I was awake enough to take note of the time, 11:59, and to remember exactly what happened and the fear I felt, but not awake enough to formulate complex thoughts. I don't recall having dreamt about snakes that night, nor did I recall any snake dreams at the time, so I was all the more certain that there was a large, black snake in the room. I began fidgeting around in the bed, trying to locate the snake, all the while telling my slumbering husband, "I think there's a snake in here, I think there's a snake in here." After what seemed like forever, he responded with a muffled string of grunts. He then rolled over so that his back was to me and went back to sleep. I instantly scooted over to get as close to Chris as possible and said, "well, then Ill stay right next to you so that I'll be safe." And once I was there, I did feel safe and was able to fall right back to sleep. It was all very strange, but I remember how safe I felt once I was next to Chris. It was the same security I felt as a child when I would crawl into bed with my mom after having a bad dream. Being married is more than just sharing a romantic love; it also includes the unconditional love that results in a wonderful sense of security, especially when there's a snake in the room waiting for your bare feet to hit the carpet.