White Sheet

There is something about having a plain white sheet covering all of your bedding.

A sheet … not a duvet or bedspread or coverlet or whatever, but a plain, thin, white SHEET. Protection, not decoration.

The ultimate get-well-soon card: a clean white sheet with nothing written on it, delivered and spread over you smartly by an efficient nurse. All surfaces prepared and ready to receive whatever spattered fluids or spills your sickness may send forth.

Get well … but we take your illness seriously and want you to take all the time you actually need with all of the proper clean tools, and this recognition that it could get messy but we want you to feel clean and tended. We want to be able to read the signs and their colors and consistencies clearly.

With a plain white sheet it is very clear when it is time for it to be changed. We are not trying to hide anything, though we do want you to be cozy and warm under this stark white sheet. But we do not want anything to distract you from your primary duty, so here is this plain crisp reminder that you are unwell and your only job is to recuperate. Focus on the task at hand: your body, under this shield of pure white, is pumping blood, producing mucous, and filtering air. You are circulating all kinds of stuff inside, and working to eliminate wastes and toxins. Right here. Under this white sheet.