Yeah, it's a dumb idea. So why am I so smitten?

I can't remember the last time I kicked in on a Kickstarter project. Was it the American-made, black or white, basic tee-shirts? Or was it the plastic ring that looked like something out of Dick Tracy, but was tech'd up to serve as a T pass?

I know it's been a while. Most of my impulse spending has been diverted to no-win candidates in impossibly red Congressional districts. 

But the Plufl - "the dog bed for humans" - has managed to catch my eye, if not my pocketbook.

Why a Plufl? Why, according to its Kickstarter page (where it's already raised nearly $300K - as of their June 2nd update - from 800 donor/investors):

The Plufl offers an unparalleled napping environment designed to alleviate stress and anxiety.

"Unaparalleled..." Well, that sounds pretty good. And there's plenty of verbiage that makes it sound even better:

The Plufl is a premium napping bed engineered to provide the optimal napping experience. It is created to maximize comfort and foster a sense of security, delivering relief for those who have ADHD, stress, and anxiety-related issues. A nap in the Plufl will boost your mood and have you feeling refreshed.

Premium. Optimal. Maximize comfort. Sense of security. If that don't boost your mood, nothing will. 

And yet, while I can't help but see this as a cute and catchy, I also can't help seeing it as a largely dumb idea. Or at least an unnecessary one. 

As a life-long, expert and experienced napper, there are already plenty of napping environments out there. In my little condo alone, I have a bed, a couch, a love seat, and a premium optimal ergonomic stressless recliner (purchased the Sunday after the November 2016 election). I've also been known to catch a few z's sitting up in an armchair. 

Admittedly, none of them hold the "Goodbye Stress and Anxiety" promise of the Plufl. But my napping alternatives do offer a bit of a respite. A "see you later, stress and anxiety" sort of promise that, in truth, is pretty much all the Plufl can deliver. And the Plufl will set you back $399 (early bird offer) - or $499, if you wait for it to be ready for prime time next January. Meanwhile, I already own the bed, the couch...

Another issue I have with the Plufl: it's definitely not designed with the senior set (after infant and toddlers, the prime napping demographic) in mind. Because I know precious few old geezers - self included - who'd be able to gracefully get into a Plufl, or easily extricate themselves from it. 

Once I snuggled in, I'd have a hard time napping, what with worrying about how I was going to have to crawl out of the Plufl and somehow make my way over to - say - the couch and hoist myself up. Which would just remind me that I could have just napped on the couch to begin with. 

So much for "Goodbye Stress and Anxiety."

And yet I'm pretty smitten with the Plufl.

Not smitten enough to invest in its Kickstarter drive. Yet smitten enough.

It looks so inviting. So comfy. So cozy. A nap lover's paradise. A nap lover's dream.

Maybe this is nature's way of signaling that I really do need to get a dog so I have a good reason to buy a dog bed. An actual dog bed. For an actual dog.

"Fido" can curl up in their napping space; I can zone out on the bed. All very companionable. I might even invite my mythical "Fido" to jump up and join me at some point. Beats me trying to get in and out of a Plufl.