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- [00:00]
A
This episode is brought to you by Facebook. So you were scrolling on Marketplace and there it was. The bike you'd been searching for. You sent a message and it turned out the seller was super chatty, kind of funny, and an avid cyclist. The next thing you know, you're in a cycling crew. Well, a community cycling group. The thing about Facebook, you might find more than what you're looking for, from a browse to a bike ride this summer. Find more on Facebook. Parenting unlocks some pretty impressive skills, like carrying grocery bags, a soccer ball and a sleepy kid all at once. Good thing the newly designed Chrysler Pacifica has a few tricks of its own. Hands free power sliding doors and liftgate, rear seat entertainment and stow and go seating and storage that adapts faster than your family's weekend plans. Visit chrysler.com to learn more. Chrysler is a registered trademark of FCAUX LLC. When you think about Crocs, you think the classic clog. But did you know there's also a canvas clog, A vegan suede clog, A coastal inspired style. A style with studs, straps and lots of sass. Honestly, I could keep going with the surprises. You've got to see them for yourself because there is literally a style for every kind of girl. So do your thing and head to crocs.com or a store near you now.
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Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy. I'm your host, Thomas. Thank you so much for joining me. Tonight we're embarking on a relaxing adventure through beautiful landscapes on the slow train to Sleepville. It was beautifully written by Angela and I'll be the one reading for you. It's one of those stories that creatively and artistically takes us out of the world we know and into a slightly different one, whilst maintaining many soothing familiarities at the same time. Of course, the world we already know is filled with beauty and love, but it is sometimes tough to recognize that. Unfortunately, I think we live in a time right now where it can often feel like we're all divided and that we're being labeled as this or that, and it means we can't possibly get along. But there is no doubt in my mind that no matter our opinions or beliefs, there is always so much more that unites us than divides us. And maybe we need to look a little deeper sometimes, realizing that perhaps the negativity we feel about our neighbors near and far isn't of any benefit to ourselves. It may well be benefiting those who seek to divide us, but I don't think that's what any of us truly want. What we can do as individuals, each and every one of us, is to simply set the example of the world we want to live in. I promise you that it truly is healthier for all of us to lift each other up, to encourage one another and show your fellow beings that you appreciate who they are and what they bring to the world. And the more you do that, the more that will come back to you and you'll feel that same love and support from others. Now, of course, I hope you feel completely at peace with who you are and how you show up in the world. But even if you sense some negativity lingering within, it's really quite simple to flip that on its head. All it takes is tapping into the innate kindness, love and compassion that we all hold within. And I think we should all feel free and proud to display it at every opportunity. So as we prepare to drift off to dreamland, experiencing the magic of our story and the splendor of a place existing in imagination, perhaps it's a chance to reflect and to feel inspired to wake up tomorrow with kindness, love and compassion proudly resonating in our hearts and minds. I know that all of you, our wonderful community of listeners here, are amongst the world's most kind, loving and compassionate people. So let's spread more of that wherever and whenever we can. I really do appreciate you my friends, and I hope you enjoy a great sleep tonight because you really deserve to to help you get there, imagine in your mind's eye that you've been transported to a charming railway station deep in the countryside. This is where our story begins. The old Victorian style clock strikes six in the small railway station. A handful of people linger on the platform awaiting the next train. They're ready to head home after a long day of work, school or shopping. This evening you are waiting for the slow train to Sleepville, a train famous throughout the land, if not the entire world. You've heard that its unique rocking motion is guaranteed to send passengers into a deep, sound sleep. Often, many feel a renewed sense of positivity and purpose in life following their journey. Some have said that passengers only see what they want to see and that each experience on the train is different. As you stand on the platform, you realize that you don't quite know what to expect. There are no photographs of the train's interior to be found online, as no digital devices or cameras are permitted on board. The slow train to Sleepville exists purely for your relaxation, with no distractions, nothing at all to prevent you from enjoying a wonderful, undisturbed night's sleep. As you await your train, you take in your surroundings. Behind you, there's a small kiosk selling drinks and snacks. The glass display cabinets in the window are almost empty, aside from a couple of sandwiches and pastries left over from earlier in the day. A young woman wipes down the counter with a cloth before stepping outside to pull the shutters down. With a long metal pole to your left, a teenage boy listens to music on headphones. He intermittently taps his foot and mimes the words of his favorite song, lost in the rhythm. A tall man in a pinstriped suit carries a briefcase. Next to him, a woman with flowing dark hair and sunglasses holds a young girl's hand. The child clutches a cuddly panda tightly to her chest. She whispers in the bear's ear before throwing her head back and laughing like the panda has just told her the funniest joke. The evening is warm and balmy. The beech and oak trees opposite the platform sway in a gentle breeze. You notice that their leaves are the deepest shade of green, with a passing hint of golden sparkle as the evening sun catches them. Fleetingly, the scent of freshly cut grass fills the air. You breathe in then and out again, allowing your lungs to fill with the familiar fragrance, and you smile. It's a smell that reminds you of summer. A red train with a few carriages rolls into the station. It stops at the platform. With perfect precision and a screech of the brakes. The doors hiss as they open automatically. Everyone else on the platform steps aboard. As they do so, the young girl drops her toy panda, you notice, and pick it up, tossing it through the doors to her just before they close. She holds the toy up in the air, smiling, and waves at you as the train whirs, pulling out of the station. Your train is due to arrive next. Unlike the last, the slow train to Sleepville has no destination. On this train, it's all about the journey. Looking around, you see that the ticket office and cafe have now closed. The clock above says 6:18pm A digital board informs you that your train is about to arrive on platform four on the opposite side of the tracks. You climb the steps to cross the metal bridge. From the top. To your left, you can see rolling countryside extending for miles and a winding crystal blue river. On your right, a small car park has one remaining car in the corner, and far into the distance, the tops of city skyscrapers appear to almost touch the cloudless pale blue sky. You see your train approaching. It's painted in a brilliant Glossy shade of white standing out in the lush landscape and you notice that someone has painted a sleepy face on the front. From a distance, the train looks unusual, futuristic, like it has arrived from another dimension to take you on an incredible journey. There's a sense of anticipation and you wonder what you'll experience during the relaxing evening trip. As you descend the stairs onto platform four, the train pulls into the station. This time there are no squeaking brakes. The slow train to sleep fell is completely silent. The exterior is nondescript, yet streamlined and smooth. And the windows are tinted so you can't see inside. Along the carriages, there's a continuous wavy silver pattern that runs the entire length of the train. The doors open automatically and you step inside. The interior, which you're finally seeing for the first time, is silver and white with mahogany wood ceilings and floors. The decor can only be described as 1920s art deco meets spaceship. It's unlike anything you've ever seen, like stepping back into the past while also being in the future. In front of you, the reception desk is dimly lit. It consists of a welcome sign and a counter filled with information about the amenities on the train. A drawer beneath the counter opens in front of you. It contains a pair of fluffy white slippers in your exact size. There's a handwritten label attached that says wear me. You swap your shoes for the slippers. They mold to your feet intuitively, feeling like soft, bouncy sponges. Or on the wooden floor. Looking at a map on the counter, you see that your cabin 9A is along a corridor to your left. In your comfortable slippers, you make your way there. When you look out of the panoramic windows, you notice that you've already left the station. The platforms have been replaced by endless fields which are blanketed by wildflowers in a kaleidoscope of colors. The view is so vivid, reminding you of an impressionist painting. You stop to gaze at the beautiful scenery for a moment, realizing that it doesn't feel like the train is moving at all. Behind you, a cabin door opens silently and you step inside. The space is much larger than you anticipated and very luxurious. The cream coloured carpet beneath your feet is soft, fluffy and pristine. A huge comfortable bed sits against a wall to your right. It's adorned with a cosy white quilt and four plump pillows, adding a splash of colour. A bronze velvet throw is draped across one corner. Behind the bed, there's a golden mural, handcrafted from metal that looks like a 3D spiral galaxy. Twinkling stars appear around it, then disappear, depending on where you're standing in the room, you catch sight of yourself in a full length Art Deco mirror. There's also a wooden cupboard and a small bathroom. The panoramic window stretches the entire length of the cabin, allowing for spectacular views. Beside the window is a velvet armchair, along with a round wooden table. You take a seat, looking out at the view. The train is passing rows of elegant houses in a small town. The gardens are long, almost reaching the train tracks. In one, you notice a child bouncing up and down on a trampoline as a brown dog runs around, eager to join in. An elderly couple sit on the porch next door, sipping from glasses while rocking on chairs. Further along, a couple of teenage girls sit in a treehouse adorned with sparkly lights, playing cards on the deck and laughing. Something on the table beside you catches your eye. It's a small silver button. Intrigued, you press it and a screen instantly appears from a slot inside the table. On the screen, there are several pictures. A cup, a plate, a pair of pyjamas, a light bulb and some musical notes. You tap the musical note button and the cabin fills with soothing sounds, a blend of tinkling bells and ambient synths. You smile and turn it up a little, finding the music relaxing, and place your feet on the footstool. Next, you decide to press the pyjamas button. Above the bed, a panel in the ceiling opens. A perfectly folded pair of pale blue linen pyjamas drops onto the bed. After changing into the pyjamas and hanging up your regular clothes, you press the cup button, then look up at the ceiling. But nothing happens this time. The screen on the table disappears and the table opens up, moving apart like pieces of a complex jigsaw. A cup and saucer emerge, along with a small teapot, steam emanating from the spout. A choice of loose leaf teas are presented in tiny mesh bags, each labeled with elegant handwriting. You pick the three bags up, reading the labels one by one. The first one, a rich blend of blue leaves, reads Snooze Time. The second pouch contains pink and orange leaves with the words Sweet Dreams on the label. And the third, a mesh of different coloured leaves, says Astral Blend. As the train is quite futuristic in design, you decide to try the astral blend, Tipping the leaves into the pot. The scent envelops you, a heady mix of exotic spices that you don't recognize. Closing your eyes, you inhale the fragrance, breathing it in and out again and allowing it to captivate your senses. After several minutes of total relaxation, you open your eyes. The Outside, scenery has changed. The town has been replaced by glacial lakes. An unusual castle with turrets covered in street art sits on a small hilltop. The window seems to have a magnifying effect and the castle appears closer in front of you with a stream of information beneath. The writing tells you that this was no ordinary castle. It wasn't a place for royalty. Instead, it was built by a collective of writers, composers, poets and artists many centuries ago. It was a place where great minds of the time met to discuss ideas and create their finest works. Once you've read the details, the art covered castle disappears back into the distance. You finish your cup of tea and as the skies outside turn darker from blue to wisps of pink and grey, you decide to explore the rest of the train. Exiting your cabin, you turn right. The next carriage consists of more cabins, but the one after it contains a dining room. This car, unlike the rest of the train, is quite old fashioned, bringing Art Deco features of the 1920s to life. You pad along the wooden floor in your spongy slippers. The curtains on the windows are purple and secured in place with golden braided rope. The tables are carved from dark wood, each one set with white crockery, polished silver cutlery and ornate crystal glasses. The decor is perfectly fitting for the era. Salt and pepper dishes have tiny spoons for measuring the condiments. Lamps with cream tasselled shades illuminate each table with ambient light. The dining chairs match the curtains. They're covered in a soft velvet fabric with a shell shaped backrest. Between each table. Glass panels depict images of the train with the logo etched beneath. For the first time since you stepped inside the carriage, you notice a woman dining in one of the booths. You smile at her as you pass, realizing that she is also dressed in her pajamas. The woman looks up, bidding you good evening. She then turns her attention back to a piping hot bowl of hearty soup. The next carriage is different again. A sign tells you this is the Winding Down Cabin. The space is neither art Deco nor futuristic. It has a distinctly botanical feel to it, unexpected for a train. Different species of plants are dotted throughout. Pale pink orchids, sprawling Swiss cheese plants, and even miniature palm trees. The carpet is green with the texture of grass, and between the plants, large cushions are available for meditation, yoga or sleep. As you walk through healing crystal bowl, soundscapes play softly through invisible speakers. The atmosphere is so relaxing that you stop to lie down on a padded mat. You snuggle beneath a soft blanket with a cushion as your pillow. As you lie down, you feel yourself Beginning to breathe slowly and deeply, in and out, You close your eyes for what feels like a moment. The scent of the plants smell like lemons and rose petals combined. How you imagine a garden on a Mediterranean island might smell. As you continue to take slow, deep breaths, you soon doze off. When you awake a little while later, you decide to continue your train exploration. Exiting the carriage, you realize that you've reached the end of the train. Ahead, there's just a small spiral staircase. You decide to venture up the stairs. On the upper deck, there is a single glass carriage. Through the glass, you can see the night sky above and a view of the landscape from each side. The interior Space has just 12 cosy armchairs, each of which recline. The sky outside is completely dark, a shade of midnight blue, and the full moon is strawberry pink. You take the front seat for the best views. Small clusters of lights are tucked between mountain valleys and smoke billows from chimney stacks. You tilt the chair to its optimal position and look upwards through the glass panoramic roof. As you do so, you press a button on your armrest and the names of the constellations pop up next to the stars. You can see Ursa Major and Minor and a bright triangular formation. The information tells you that these stars are Alter, Vega and Deneb. They are the brightest stars from the Aquila, Lyra, and Cygnus constellations. The screen informs you that Lyra was named after a musical instrument known as the lyre because of its shape. Aquila was an eagle and Cygnus a swan. It also tells you that Altair is one of the Earth's closest visible stars, just 17 light years away. You find the snippets interesting, although you're now feeling more than a little sleepy. You shift your focus to the view ahead and angle your chair back. A river comes into view and to its right, a large city. A vast grid network of streets with buildings constructed of dark red brick. Old warehouses line the riverbanks, once great areas of shipping trade. Behind them, traffic lights at road intersections flash from red to green. The streets tonight are empty. The restaurants have just their backlights on. But in apartment blocks a few streets beyond, people are enjoying leisurely evenings together. You notice the train slowing down as it approaches a long rail bridge. The bridge is constructed from metal with intricate lattice architecture. It illuminates fully in bright white lights. As the train approaches, A sign at the entrance to the bridge tells you that you're now leaving the city behind and entering the dreamy state. The train is remarkably silent as it crosses the bridge almost like you're entering another dimension. You don't even feel it moving along the tracks. The river water below is motionless except for a slight movement of the lights as they ripple on the water. When the train reaches the other side of the bridge, it enters a tunnel. And when it re emerges, the landscapes have completely changed. The cities, fields, rivers and mountains have all disappeared. Instead, you can see tall glass buildings that look like they're made from quartz crystal and lit by pastel hued LED lights. Monorails navigate the city on elevated tracks, making stops at stations around the perimeter. Open squares and paved spaces with seating areas are edged by cherry blossom trees. The spaces are filled with fountains and bustling with groups of people who dance to the music as live bands play. The dancers are expressing themselves without a care in the world. On the outer edges of the city are several glass spheres which look like supermarkets. But here in this city, they are called community food networks. In grand buildings, there are knowledge centers, a bit like libraries where people gather to learn in the sky. Inspirational quotes are projected every few minutes, always positive and uplifting. You notice one that reads anything is possible. If you believe, You feel a shift within. This land in front of you is one of great joy and promise. Everything is vibrant and bathed in Technicolor. Even at this hour of the night. You press the button on your armrest, interested in learning more about this magical crystal city. But no information is given. Only two words appear. They read the future. As you leave the top deck, making your way back to your cabin, you can't help but wonder, does the train only show you what you want to see? Opening your cabin door, you notice that your bed has been turned down and the lights have been dimmed. Only the stars on the back wall twinkle brightly. Removing your comfortable, spongy slippers, you climb into the bed. Snuggling beneath the cozy duvet. Closing your eyes, you begin to drift off. As your mind wanders, you realize that this train is indeed unique. You find yourself remembering the Art Deco restaurant car, the botanical winding down room, and the upper observatory with its views of a magical new city. With a smile on your face and the rocking motion of the train, you slowly drift into a deep, uninterrupted sleep. You can't wait to see where the slow train to Sleepville will take you next. Sam.
- [44:22]
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Sa.
- [44:48]
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Sam.
- [45:13]
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Sa.
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Sam. Sa.