Propensity for Joy

"A propensity to hope and joy is real riches; one to fear and sorrow real poverty”
David Hume






About 18 months ago, I shared an adventure with 4 strangers-waiting-for-a-shuttle-bus-to-catch-a-train.
Elements of the adventure:

• A cold rainy morning.
  
• Waiting an hour past the scheduled time that a shuttle bus was due to pick us up at the train station, No bus, no possibility of catching that train further down the road. We learned much later that the bus was stuck at the snowy mountain pass.
  
• A hitch-hiked ride in the truck of the aunt of one of the strangers.
  
• 5 adults with baggage, day packs, an oversized back pack, 2 sleeping bags, umbrellas and 'truck stuff' - sqoooozed into the cab of the truck.
  
• Barely making it to the train station 45 minutes down the road.
• Finally catching our intended train.
  

During our misadventure, we exchanged niceties. Got acquainted. Got soaked in the rain, felt anxious, hopeful, discouraged, disgusted, thankful. Shared some of the frustration of taking public transportation. Called Amtrak, got no help from Amtrak, cursed Amtrak. We bonded. So when finally boarding the correct Amtrak train, we decided to sit together for the ride into The Bay Area.

I'll spare you further detailed descriptions of the strangers-turned-comrades-for-a-day. I'll hold back on the many fascinating stories, cute or poignant anecdotes shared and haha funny jokes told during those 4 hours we hung out together.
What I will tell you is something one of them said to me a moment before she disembarked the train at her destination.
She gently touched my hand and said 'You possess the propensity for joy - it's an admirable and enviable quality'.

Glass half empty thinking has me imagining that she found me immature (which I am sometimes, but that is another story for another day...).
Glass half full has me thinking her compliment was genuinely sincere.
Hmmmmm....think I'll spare torturing myself and believe the latter.

All the above leads me to address, finally - this personal dilemma:
Waking up with a Propensity for Joy each day can be somewhat impaired by not getting a sufficient amount of restorative sleep the night before.
To be sure, waking up blurry-eyed grumpy can really put a damper on the day's joyful perspective.

Let's talk pillows.

In all my adult years, I have failed to outfit my boudoir with great bedpillows. How does one choose (wisely)? On my current pillows, I just can't seem to get comfy. Sleep is fitful at best, and my neck and shoulders ache something awful each morn.
I need HELP!
Polyester-filled pillows look so promising in the store. They are fluff fluff fluffy, but within a few weeks use - flatten to pancake depth. Solid foam pillows remain too springy and 'formed'. Poly-wrapped foam gets misshapen too - possibly due to shifting of the polyfill layer. Shredded foam - no thanks! I have purchased down pillows, but never the ones made from the choicest downy feathers because I'm too cheap to fork over the big buck$ for a high quality down (check out the price in the link below!). I fear it too will go the way of all-pillows-past and fail to be the pillow 'of and for my sweetest dreams.'

The beddings in nicer hotels almost always guarantee me a great night's sleep. High thread count sheets, poofy down duvets, a plethora of pillows - with 3 pillow types (firm, medium and soft) to arrange and rearrange to great satisfaction under one's head. Toss in a neck roll and it's Sleepland Heaven. My mattress at home is sufficient. I've got many threads to the inch sheets, a decent down comforter with a soft duvet cover. But it's ultimately all about the pillow, isn't it? My preferred pillow type is the European square - stuffed with the downiest down that isn't crunchy but soft, and provides gentle support through the night. It cradles my head lovingly as I drift off to sleep, and the feathers within (the pillow, not my head!) don't squish down to nothingness by morning. Sleep-inducing. Ahhhhhh....

Those babies are hard to find in retail stores. I'd like to feeeeeeeel one before buying, as well as hear /read testimonials from consumers who have experienced delightful rest on these pricey pillows. With this criteria, forking out the big buck$$$ to purchase one from an online shop is not an option.
[the new link for pillows/prices seems more reasonable, does it not? should I or shouldn't I?]

Does anyone out there know of a great beddings store to recommend, or is acquainted with someone employed as a 'hotel fancy linens buyer'?
Anyone out there with a tried and true 'how-to-get-a-great-pillow' suggestion?
[short of theft, that is]

I need some good Zzzzzzzzzz's to maintain my PFJ.