I Saw Print Sheets Come Sailing In

Yesterday I bought new sheets. It's a project I've been working on for four years. I can't tell you how relieved I am that it's over. I like patterned sheets. They hide the wrinkles. Solid sheets don't do that. Even though bright colors are available, they just seem to highlight the wrinkles. I want color and design. I want bright and cheerful. There I was, four years ago, with limp, warn-out sheets. Choosing sheets can be fun, so I went forth, innocently, to pick up a couple of new sets. That's when I discovered the sheet fashion cycle. From the least expensive store to the places where I would never consider paying those prices, there were solids, solids, and more solids. I tried online. Same deal. Figuring the cycle would have to come back my way, I waited. Notice I did not say patiently. After about a year, there were a few small breakthroughs. Itty bitty dots. A step in the right direction, but not good enough. Splotches of very pale colors. No hanks, they already look washed out. One happy day, I found a set--navy with a white design. Far from perfect, but now I had one set of sheets that you couldn't read a magazine through. I was sure that if one design had made it to the shelves, more must be coming. It took another year, for a gray set, with a different white design to appear. Again, not perfect, but usable. Maybe I should tell you what my favorite sheets were, to give you an idea of what I was looking for. I once had a bright blue plaid, and at another time, a tropical print with lush green leaves and brightly colored birds. These were great sheets. As so often happens in life, I found sheets I love when I wasn't looking for them. Walking from one area of the store to another, a bright blue package caught my eye. It was sheets. They were royal blue, with sea green cacti all over and a sprinkling of white dots that I assumed was snow. It took me less than a minute to decide to buy them. Are they silly? Definitely. Do I care? Nope, not a bit. Because every time I walk into the bedroom, they make me smile.