Bedside Table Show And Tell: What's On Your Night Stand, And What Does It Say About You?

A few months ago I was lying in bed staring at my bedside table when I realized that all anyone needed to know about my life at that moment -- my struggles, my aspirations, my obsessions -- could be gleaned from the pile of books on my nightstand. At that time, the titles ranged from "Setting Limits With Your Strong Willed Child" to "The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe" to "The Blood Sugar Solution" to "Dinner: A Love Story" to the copy of "Basic Freud" I've been trying to get through for years. The thick pile of unread New Yorkers and the two abandoned journals said something about me too, as did the contents of the table's drawer which houses a tangle of items including hair elastics, vitamin supplements, Ultra Strength Bengay, a love letter from my husband and a lock of my son's hair. There I was, distilled.

The nightstand looks slightly different right now (see the photo above), but the books on it still provide an index of who I am in this moment -- both my shifting interests and the subjects I always return to. It's my table of my contents.

What does your bedside table say about your life right now? Instagram a photo, tag it #hpbedside and tell us in a comment on Instagram what it indicates about you. We'll gather your contributions and feature them on the site.