I finally checked into the bed and bedding I loved so much after our stay at the Inn at the Market in Seattle, Washington.

It would appear I have excellent taste. The bed is made by a company called Hypnos…their mattresses run between $10 – 15,000.00.

This is the brand the Queen slumbers upon. “Philip and I,” she said raising one brow under her pale-blue hat, “We quite LOVE our Corgis and our Hypnos.”

Apparently I shan’t be ordering a mattress any time soon. Maybe if I say it really quick it won’t sound so expensive?

Didn’t work.  

The only way I’ll be sleeping on that bed again will be by heading to Seattle to stay at the Inn.

But it got me thinking about some of the luxuries I find in each day, which in turn led me to reflect on the luxurious start I indulge in each day that I’m at home. 

It involves a huge red lazyboy, and thank you very much, but it’s not the kind with the big handle or plaid armrests, it’s actually kind of cool. It’s got the whole wingback thing going on. And, it is my journal writing chair of choice. My heating pad  is permanently placed to hit the small of my back. It is perfect to counter the last of the night’s chill in our room. 

But first I light a stick of incense. The smoke wraiths around the implacable face of the seated Buddha statue. I light the four pillar candles that reflect in the window and I hit play on the Putumayo Yoga CD.  This being the dark season, I turn on the anti-SAD blue light and pretend I’m back in St. Lucia or some other sunny clime and then I get down to writing my 3 pages.

Somewhere in that divine state of luxury, my wonderful husband delivers my cinnamon-dusted cappuccino. Apparently, this part of the ritual will have to be stopped for the duration of the detox, but that’s not happening just yet…

And then I take my two pills; the first one being the one that every woman over 50 should take (and apparently I qualify. How did that happen??) and that is, a pale pink 81 mg. aspirin. Read up on it. It’s going to save you from a heart attack.

The next one is Vitamin D because apparently if you live in place that doesn’t allow you to cast a sharp shadow – and the Pacific Northwest most assuredly doesn’t allow shadows – you need Vitamin D.

And that too, makes me think how blessed I am to live in such a wealthy part of the planet where I am blessed with heat, hot water and the cash to buy supplements.

So maybe I won’t be sleeping on the Hypnos but I think I’m already living a pretty rich life…even if I’m not the Queen.