Supersnore

Yesterday I finally bit the bullet and went to pick up my new latex and organic wool & cotton mattress. Latex, as you may know, comes from plants – the rubber tree, specifically. I like latex, and I like organic cotton, and wool that is not only grown and processed organically, sustainably and humanely, but which comes from the bodies of well-loved sheep – sheep who have names, sheep living within 50 miles of here. These are the materials that were allegedly used to create this mattress, manufactured with love by organized workers in a fair-trade certified facility blah blah blah ... The point being, I have my new bed, and I hope it's true that it's safe and nontoxic and that no prisoners or child slaves were forced to make it for me, because I kind of like the thing and want to feel good about having it for a long time.

I actually ordered it on Thanksgiving weekend, and then for one reason and another – the shipment from the factory was delayed, then there were the holidays, then various trips and other weekend obligations – ended up waiting more than two months to sleep on it. In the interim I became paranoid that I might have made a terrible mistake, and that when the mattress finally arrived I would decide I didn't like it after all (because naturally a mattress of such singular quality and extraordinary origin can never be returned). Somehow in my imagination the mattress kept getting thinner and thinner, until by the time we went to get it I was half expecting to see nothing but a glorified two thousand dollar camping pad all rolled up on the dolly like an oversized, flax-colored pair of tube socks in the bottom of someone's underwear drawer.

It turned out to be nothing like that, but looking at it on my bed, where the old mattress used to be, I can see why I imagined it that way. The old mattress, when it was new, it was almost two feet thick, and I'm not exaggerating. It was so fat I had to buy king-size sheets for it, even though it was only a queen. At the time I bought it, that was what I wanted. I had been sleeping on substandard beds for years and had decided to treat myself to something soft and squishy, like a nest. And I have to say, I loved it while it lasted. But nothing lasts forever.

Although according to the marketing I read, a natural latex mattress can be expected to last more than twice as long as a conventional wood, foam and metal mattress. Which is good, because it also costs at least twice as much. But the main thing I like about it is the way it feels. It's definitely soft and springy, the way you'd expect a rubber mattress to be. But it's firm, too. I don't roll to the middle the way I did in the other one, or bounce around the way I'm used to doing, every time the dog gets on or off the bed. It feels different, and I think that's why I kept waking up all night long last night – it felt good, but it didn't feel like my bed. I think I will get used to it though.

The other thing that was weird is that it's lower than the other one – a lot lower. It's so low that I felt myself using different muscles to get out of it when I got up this morning. And I really did feel like I was getting up this morning – not just stepping onto the floor, but more like standing up from being on the floor. I might start to like that too, after awhile; I used to always prefer having my mattress right down on the floor, until I got the big fat bed.

So yeah. This pretty much sums up everything you ever wanted to know about my bed. Except for the part about what kind of linens I like, and how many pillows and down comforters. We also looked at a couple of wool comforters and may try one of those for the summer ... but the new mattress is enough of a change for now.