Written for you

Somebody who loves you arranged what this page describes, and wanted you to read about it for yourself — nothing hidden, nothing decided over your head.

What this is

There is a man called Jonathan whose work this is. Every week he keeps hours aside that are yours and nobody else’s, and he gives them to the things that make a day sit comfortably — sleep, steadiness, breath, spirits. He works from far away, quietly, at set times. You will never see him or hear him, nothing comes to your house, and no one will ever sit you in front of a screen. The good of it turns up gradually, inside your own ordinary days.

What you do

Once a week, at an hour you pick, you lie down, close your eyes and rest. Usually it is an hour; occasionally a little longer. In bed is ideal, and if you drift off, so much the better. On that day it is better to skip the glass of wine — the one small thing we ask. That is the whole of your part.

The rest asks nothing of you — carry on with your day, your garden, your friends. You will always know which days are yours; there is nothing to do on them. Nothing needs learning, nothing needs buying, and none of it needs believing.

Many people find, as the weeks pass, that early nights and fresh air start suggesting themselves. Follow that feeling exactly as far as you please.

And what it is not

None of this is medicine. Your doctor stays your doctor, and your medicines and appointments go on just as before. Nothing is ever added to what you take, nothing is changed, and nothing is taken away.

If you would rather say no

Tell them, or tell Jonathan, and the matter closes there — kindly, and completely. No one will raise it again. It goes ahead with your blessing or not at all, and you can stop whenever you wish, with no reason needed.

Anything you want to ask

There is a page here for asking Jonathan questions of your own, and what you write on it stays between the two of you. It is not passed to your family — not a word, in either direction.

Why they arranged it

The complete attention of one person, hours of it, every week, is a rare gift. They wanted you to have it.

They have been wanting to give you something for a long time. This is them doing it.

Let them.