October is nearly over, and the shop has grown quieter. The beds hold their shape. The light comes in low, at an angle, and lingers on the floor. We have been tidying, in the gentle way of those who are not in a hurry.
We have learned a few things this year. That rest is not a reward. That a nap is a form of listening. That a cat who knows how to lie down knows rather a lot.
Thank you for resting with us. The door is open, the lamp is low and the bed is, as ever, warm.
Waking is as much an art as sleeping. A harsh wake leaves the sleeper cross and uncertain, with a stiff neck and a memory of having been somewhere warmer. A gentle wake is a slow return.
We suggest the following: first, a soft light. Second, a faint sound, such as a bell or a distant tin. Third, a pause of several minutes, so that the sleeper may decide, without pressure, that waking was their idea.
Should you be woken by a human, do not take it personally. They have been awake for hours and are lonely. Allow them a single slow blink, and go back to sleep.
There is a quiet hour between breakfast and lunch which is often overlooked. It begins at around 10:15 and lasts until the noon bird. In this hour the house is empty, the floor is warm and the world has not yet asked anything of you.
We suggest you spend it horizontal. A mid morning nap is not a surrender. It is a rehearsal for the afternoon nap, and the afternoon nap is a rehearsal for the night.
Treat each of them with respect. They are the vows of a sleeper to the day.
As the days shorten, the sunbeam moves lower and further to the left. It lands on the sofa a little later, and it leaves a little earlier. The wise sleeper adjusts. The wise sleeper moves with the light, one cushion at a time.
This is the season of the long nap, the deep nap and the nap that begins with the intention of being short. We have seen customers lie down at 2 and wake at dusk, wearing the sofa’s pattern on their cheek.
It is a good look. It is autumn. Allow it.
When a sleepy cat blinks slowly at you, it is saying something. It is saying: I am safe here. It is saying: I do not need to watch you. It is saying, quite possibly, that dinner is late.
Our Department of Soft Research has studied the slow blink for six years and has so far recorded 41,000 examples. The average duration is 1.8 seconds. The longest, produced by a nine year old tabby named Pudding, lasted 11 minutes, and was later reclassified as sleep.
We encourage you to return the blink. Hold it for two seconds. Let your eyes close and open again. You have just said something kind, and no one had to speak.
Every sleeper has three spots. The first is the favourite, the one with the best light. The second is the alternative, used when the first is occupied by a dog, a laundry basket or the weather. The third is the secret.
The third spot is usually small, usually odd and almost never recommended. It is the shelf in the wardrobe, the sink or the narrow gap between the sofa and the wall. It is where you go when you wish to be unfound.
We do not judge the third spot. We have, in fact, designed a bed for it. Ask a Rest Guide. Speak softly. We will know what you mean.
Every nap, we have found, has a shape. First, the circling. Second, the settling. Third, the long breath out. Fourth, the paws folding under. Fifth, the eyes narrowing. Sixth, the ears giving up. Seventh, a twitch of the tail. Eighth, silence.
Most rest is lost at the second stage, when the sleeper decides that this particular spot, which has been fine for years, is not fine today. The circling begins again.
Trust the first spot, we say. Trust the warmth. The eighth stage is waiting, and it is very patient, and it is already smiling.
The light is long now, and the afternoons have grown warm. We invite you to slow down, to lie down and to remember that nothing at all is required of you before dinner.
This season we have prepared a modest collection of softness: new bedding, a refreshed mat and a lavender mist that smells like a field you have not yet visited. Our Rest Guides are ready, in their soft shoes, to help.
Come in when you are ready. We will not hurry you. Do not worry if you arrive late. Do not worry if you arrive asleep. The beds are already warm.