Friends

I hope the day will be a lighter highway

For friends are found on every road

Can you ever think of any better way

For the lost and weary travellers to go

— Elton John and Bernie Taupin

With more and more people being vaccinated against Covid-19, I am hopeful we slowly are emerging from 14-plus months of being separated from one another as an industry and from loved ones. To me, the quote above from the title track of the movie Friends, released in 1971, captures the longing I have felt over the past year for the companionship of familiar faces. 

Heck, even my dog, Guilford, the Joseph Stalin of pets, has become the friendliest pup on the block because he’s tired of being isolated from people at whom he can bark.

Of course, I share his loneliness (not his barking). I miss the BedTimes editorial team whom I haven’t been able to see in person in more than a year. Zoom is nice, Teams is dandy, but nothing takes the place of the camaraderie of being with Stephanie Belcher, Kerri Bellias, Beth English, Julie Lewis Dossey, Barbara Nelles, Dave Perry and Mary Rulli. I know we will be reunited and those special times will return. I just hope they will be sooner than later.

And, I don’t think I am alone. According to Kerri, vice president of sales and events for BedTimes and the International Sleep Products Association, and Dave, editor at large for BedTimes and sister publication Sleep Savvy, who attended the Las Vegas Market in April, one of the highlights of market was witnessing how excited people were to see each other in person again. (For more on the show, be sure to read the June edition of BedTimes.)

Covid-19 also has accelerated stress and exhaustion. In this issue, we explore the effects of burnout and how teams of co-workers can help prevent it.

Also in this issue, we showcase the equipment innovations and mattress components that, in normal times, would have been exhibited at Interzum Cologne in Germany.

After you’ve read this issue, I suggest we have some fun. To help draw the bedding industry closer, I invite you to share your favorite Covid-19 mask. It can include your company logo, favorite design or whatever strikes your fancy. Email a photo to me at mbest@sleepproducts.org, and we will publish them in an upcoming issue. 

In the meantime, please stay safe, strong and healthy.

Related Posts

News Release: Spring 2020 High Point Market Postponed

HIGH POINT, N.C., March 12, 2020 — The High...

News release: Jomel Seams Reasonable Sewing Face Masks

Hillside, N.J., cut-and-sew manufacturer has begun producing face masks...

Casper Losses Narrow

New York-based Casper Sleep Inc. posted a narrower than...

News release: Precision Textiles Donation to New Jersey Hospital

Medical-grade mattress encasements to benefit Englewood Hospital during the...