Listen To Sleep – "The Remembering: A Bedtime Story About Coming Home"
Host: Erik Ireland
Date: November 9, 2025
Overview
In this meditative, evocative episode, Erik Ireland narrates an original bedtime story, "The Remembering," about Walter, a man who moves into the forest seeking peace after a long, anxious life in the city. What unfolds is a gentle exploration of how true solace is not found by escaping but by awakening to presence, wonder, and our inseparable connection to the living world. The story meanders through the seasons, as Walter learns to drop his routines, let go of old fears, and rediscover a sense of belonging—guided as much by mysterious forest protectors as by his own quiet, emerging curiosity.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
[02:21] The Inspiration and Themes
- Erik introduces the episode by mentioning a documentary on how Bigfoot is seen as a protector by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest.
- Prompted by this, Erik reflects:
"It got me wondering about the protectors in my own life and what a protector is really protecting."
[02:45] - Sets up the story as an inquiry into what true protection means—not shielding from danger but "reminding us we're already whole."
[04:16] Walter’s Arrival & Disconnection
- Walter, age 68, retreats to a forest cabin after losing his spouse and feeling adrift in the city.
- Establishes strict routines—coffee, chores, walks—all done with order but little joy or presence.
- Despite the beauty around him, "The forest exists around him like wallpaper, pretty but separate." [04:50]
- He came for peace but finds anxiety and loneliness persist.
[09:48] The Subtle Invitiations of the Forest
- Strange, possibly supernatural events gently intrude:
- A resonant, unexplainable sound in the woods at dusk.
"It moves through the forest like a voice, but not quite a voice." [10:10]
- Arrangements of fallen branches ("almost like a marker, like an X"), stacked stones, and ambiguous footprints—all rationalized by Walter’s skeptical adult mind.
- A resonant, unexplainable sound in the woods at dusk.
- These moments spark the “faintest echo of wonder”—a feeling he faintly remembers from childhood, when he believed in forest mysteries and magic.
[15:00] The Turning Point: Curiosity Over Routine
- After months of resisting, Walter finally lets his curiosity lead:
- He skips his usual chores and walks into the forest without a plan, noticing details and beauty for the first time in years.
- The transformation is described vividly: "The world is practicing geometry, repeating its patterns in infinite variation. And it’s astonishingly beautiful."
- He finds a hidden boulder in a clearing, sits, listens, and gradually quiets his mind.
"The trees aren’t in a hurry. The creek isn’t rushing toward some goal." [29:20]
[32:40] Awakening to the Living World
- Daily, unforced visits to the boulder become a source of peace.
- Walter starts to notice individual trees, patterns of birds, the way time shifts from hours/minutes to natural rhythms.
- “Time becomes something different. Not hours and minutes, but light and shadow, temperature and sound.”
- Interactions with animals, particularly with a fox, bring a deeply felt sense of connection:
"Something passes between them. Not thoughts, more like recognition, like, oh, you’re here too." [36:30]
- His anxieties remain but recede, observed “like weather… without believing they’re the whole sky.”
[40:13] The Nightlong Vigil: Facing Fears
- On the first warm night of spring, Walter decides to sit outside all night by the fire without distraction.
- In the darkness, he has to face his deepest fears and old anxious thoughts directly:
"You’re going to die out here alone... You wasted your life. You never figured out how to be happy." [45:10]
- By staying present and not running, Walter discovers their impermanence:
"Just thoughts, just weather, just the mind doing what minds do. He’s not his thoughts. He feels more like the space they’re happening in." [48:45]
- The mysterious sound returns; Walter greets the presence with gratitude, finally understanding it is not here to frighten or save him, but to remind him:
"You’re not separate. You’re not alone. You are part of all this." [51:20]
[53:24] Integration and Belonging
- With the coming of dawn, Walter feels a profound shift.
- “The old Walter… who thought he needed to escape or achieve… died in the night. What remains is simpler. A man sitting by a fire, watching the dawn being exactly where he is.”
- His renewed sense of belonging transforms daily life:
- He moves through the forest without agenda—sometimes walking, sometimes sitting, always attentive.
- Offers small gestures: "A bowl of water at the base of the old oak for birds and insects... small rocks along the trails. Not to mark anything, just to say someone has been here. Someone is paying attention. You are not alone." [01:00:30]
- Welcomes hikers with presence and kindness, reflecting the same attentive protection he once received from the forest:
"He can hold space for others now, just by being there, just by being at peace with what is." [01:03:20]
[01:05:15] Conclusion: Wholeness and the Circle of Remembrance
- At summer’s end, Walter hears the mysterious forest call again and answers back with his own wordless call—a sound of acceptance and unity.
- Realizes that the protector he sought was always inside himself, and that the forest’s role was to help him remember:
"The protector was his own deeper nature, his own true self calling him home. The forest was just helping him remember." [01:07:10]
- The episode ends with Walter’s realization:
"He was never separate, never alone, never anything but a temporary expression of the same aliveness that breathes through everything." [01:08:15]
- Peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of belonging.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On what protectors really do:
“It’s a story about curiosity, about wonder, about the protectors in our lives that don’t guard us from danger, but remind us we’re already whole.” (Erik, 03:03)
- On anxiety following you:
"The anxieties followed him here, packed themselves into his boxes without asking permission." (Narration, 05:12)
- On the moment curiosity returns:
"His mind is busy, but he’s not engaged. He’s surrounded by forest, but he feels separate from everything. As if he’s living behind glass, watching life happen somewhere else, to someone else." (Narration, 08:16)
- On the forest’s patience:
"The forest’s patience begins to teach him. The trees aren’t in a hurry. The creek isn’t rushing toward some goal. The chickadees... are completely absorbed... Not worried about yesterday or tomorrow." (Narration, 29:20)
- On the real epiphany:
“He’s not his thoughts. He feels more like the space they’re happening in. The realization is so simple and so profound that he laughs out loud and the sound echoes across his clearing into the dark forest.” (Narration, 48:45)
- On belonging:
"You are not separate. You are not alone. You are part of all this. And all this is part of you." (Walter, 51:20)
- On answering the call:
"This time without thinking, Walter responds. Not with words, not even with the same sound… but with his own voice, a wordless call that comes from somewhere deeper than thought..." (Narration, 01:05:29)
- On remembering:
“He was never separate, never alone, never anything but a temporary expression of the same aliveness that breathes through everything.” (Narration, 01:08:15)
Important Timestamps
- 02:21: Introduction, inspiration from Indigenous Bigfoot stories
- 04:16: Walter’s routines and disconnection in the forest
- 09:48: The resonant sound in the woods, first signs of mystery
- 15:00: Breaking routine, awakening curiosity
- 29:20: Sitting on the boulder, learning from the forest’s patience
- 36:30: Walter’s encounter with the fox
- 40:13: The nightlong vigil—facing and releasing old fears
- 48:45: Epiphany about thoughts as “weather”
- 51:20: Feeling of belonging, gratitude, and relief
- 53:24: Integration—living in harmony with himself and the forest
- 01:05:15: Final forest call, Walter’s response, and deep understanding
- 01:08:15: Closing realization and serenity
Tone & Atmosphere
Erik’s narration is slow, gentle, and compassionate—inviting listeners to drift into sleep as the story unfolds. The language is poetic, evocative, and suffused with a sense of quiet awe for the natural world. The emotional arc moves from restlessness and loneliness, through fear and tension, to a profound sense of belonging and peace, embodying the podcast’s core message: you are enough, you already belong, let the world remind you.
Summary prepared for those seeking tranquility, insight, and soulful storytelling.