Who Shares Your Bed?

Imagine you are a road-weary traveler in 17th century Europe. It is a dark and stormy night when you arrive late at an old road house. You are wet, cold, tired and hungry. You ask for a room. The innkeeper tells you there is nothing available unless you are willing to share a bed with a fellow traveler, a stranger. You agree, knowing you must have shelter for the night and yet knowing also you will sleep very little since you must keep one eye open and your hand on your knife. It is quite possible you might be robbed while sleeping or perhaps even killed.

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"Who shares your bed?" was a lead-in question I asked recently in one of my creativity classes after setting the scene described above before asking, "and how would you apply this story to yourself and your creative journey of discovery and recovery?"

I knew this might be a loaded question for some; however, my intention was to grab their attention and then take the group off in a direction the participants might not have considered.

As many of you know, I love words. I love their meanings, origins, usage and power.

A person who shares your bed is called a bedfellow; however, he can also be called a comrade. This might seem strange because most of us associate that word with a modern day Communist form of address or greeting. The origin of the word, though, sheds some light on its usage. The word has it roots in Old French, Old Spanish and Late Latin, camara or camera, both words meaning "room" or "chamber." It carries with it the sense of roommate or barrack mate, and in many instances it literally was someone who shared your bed.

I asked the students to ponder more questions:

• Who among your family, friends and acquaintances can you trust enough to call a comrade?
• Who can you be vulnerable with regarding your art and creativity?
• Who loves and accepts you no matter what your creative size?
• Who is safe enough to hold you while you dream?

These are good questions to ask yourself whenever you have a vision, goal or creative dream. Are you a longing to share it or tell someone about it? Do you wish for a cheering section or a listening ear, perhaps a believing mirror? Sometimes it is hard to admit that those we love might not make good bedfellows when it comes to our creative journey.

The traveler mentioned above was tired, hungry and vulnerable. We must remember that our creative traveler is also vulnerable and at times can be weary—perhaps even discouraged and hungry for support. We need to find creative comrades, bedfellows as it were, who are safe enough that we can rest in our creativity and sleep with our eyes closed.

To keep in the mode of being creative, before ending I would like to add that the phrase “It was a dark and stormy night” comes from a real novel called Paul Clifford written in 1870 by Edward George Bulwer-Lytton. The rest of the line goes like this:

"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents—except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness."

Have any of you ever read this novel?

Until next time,
Ingrid

Ingrid Kincaid is an internationally known storyteller, teacher and spiritual mentor. She is an intuitive reader of ancient runes. She gently shows her clients how to tap into their own inner wisdom by weaving together creativity, spirituality and ancient knowing. Ingrid is available for interviews, private consultations and group presentations. You can contact her at ingk@ingridkincaid.com or 415.652.3990.