Testimony: “It is invaded by novels that make me laugh.”
updated the 14 July 2015 à 18:31A fan of books? Your bedside table is your accomplice.
Brigitte, 59, married, two children.
“We bought our twin bedside tables 30 years ago, shortly after our marriage. I find them ugly and cumbersome, but I cannot be bothered to change them. I accommodated my bedside table with a chest of drawers, a secretary and a bookcase. Here, I tidy up photos, my collection of earrings, perfumes, the Russian courses of my student life and my treasures: letters from my grandparents to my mother.
My bedside table has been invaded by novels! They occupy an essential place in my life. I get them from garage sales, they can be gifted to me, or I buy them on a whim because of the cover or title. The literature makes me laugh or consoles me when life hurts. It relaxes me, like doing yoga. One of my biggest pleasures? Reading in bed on a Sunday morning! I dig into my stacks of unread books or ones I’ve already read. Some of them take me on a journey, since in real life I don’t travel a lot. I also store my ‘slices of life’ on my bedside table: some letters and narratives from my brother, and letters and diaries belonging to my grandmother”.
Psychotherapist’s opinion:
The twin bedside tables reminds us symbolically of the communion dimension of the relationship: by sharing our bed, we dream together, even if we each have our own territory. These novels, on one hand, and the photos and letters, on the other hand, represent the necessity for Brigitte to be anchored in her roots and to escape from them. Travelling through reading is easier to carry out, as they are tidied up well, as are her family correspondences. This ambivalence translates to a strong belonging to a family story that is a little painful, and from which she needs to create some distance.
Isabelle Soing
Read more in our Bedside table series:
Testimony: “I have two bedside tables; they express my two facets.”
Testimony: “It is a gift from my father”
Testimony: “It is one of the rare places that is personal to me.”
Is the bedside table a reflection of your lives?
