Sense Not So Common

Every now and then, I have an idea about some small and mundane thing that will make life better. I put my idea into practice, and, lo and behold, it works! Excited, jubilant, even proud of myself for thinking of it, I mention it to someone in passing, only to find out that person has been doing it for ages. My glee invariably elicits an odd look, because I am informed that it's something that lots of people do all the time. I used to feel dumb when this happened, but I know I'm not dumb, so now I'm curious. How is it that I missed something so basic?

My latest solution arose out of my desire to sleep in clean sheets. I have two Great Danes who I love dearly, but they get a lot of sand and dirt in my bed during the day while I'm at work. Although I'm not as fussy as the Princess in 'The Princess and the Pea,' I really dislike feeling gritty bits in my bed at night. A few days ago, I discovered that if I make my bed in the morning before I go to work, the beasts can snooze to their hearts' content AND I get that smooth, gritless feeling that makes me go 'Ahhhhhh" when I crawl in at night.

Smug at my resourcefulness, I mentioned it to a colleague in passing. She looked at me like I had two heads! 'You're supposed to make your bed every morning; I've been doing it all my life,' she retorted. Unbelieving, I casually polled a few other colleagues and preliminary quantitative data appears to support her theory.

So now I'm wondering: have you ever made your bed before you slept in it? When did you come up with the idea to do it?
*Note: sheet-changing days do not count because everyone knows you have to make your bed when you change the sheets.