The Satin Life

Satin

The Moody Blues’ ‘Nights in White Satin’

The only time I spent in satin sheets was murder, I spent the night trying not slide everywhere every time I turned, it was bizarre, and they were hot, but not in the right way, sweaty hot (like wearing silk shirts in the height of summer). Each to their own. We vowed we’d never buy them ourselves.

Satin is quite an interesting weave.

If you know your satin you’ll know that it has a shiny side and a dull side. This is created by the method of weaving – called satin weave (which is one three basic weave types), where there is no strong diagonal line and which therefore renders a smooth, unbroken surface. Silk was the main material for making satin, but other materials are now used as well, though, for example, when using cotton the resulting fabric is usually called sateen.

Satin is a bit like life itself, it has a shiny side and a not so shiny side. The shiny side doesn’t constitute all of life, and can’t, because nothing remains smooth or unbroken. With all due repsect to R.E.M. we can’t be Shiny Happy People all the time. The not so shiny side is somewhat more representative of real life, not dull necessarily, but perhaps our more regular routines and patterns of living that can sometimes drive us mad, or make us yearn for a glimpse of the shiny, glossy, sexy, fun side of life. The two go together, too much of one or the other unbalances us. Without the less shiny side, the shiny wouldn’t stand out, without the shiny side, there wouldn’t be a foundational rhythm in contrast. And, as soon as the shiny side becomes the regular reality, it becomes monotonous anyway, and we begin looking for the new shiny. Perhaps in the shiny life we are slipping and sliding too much and need to be grounded more in the routines of ordinary living.

Paul,

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