← Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep
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- [00:01]
Host
Hi friends. Want every episode ad free? Tap the link in our Show Notes to subscribe. If you're on Apple Podcasts, just hit.
- [00:10]
Kathryn Nicolai
Subscribe on our show page Easy and.
- [00:13]
Host
It helps keep the show going. Let's take a deep breath together. In through the nose and out through the mouth. It feels good to breathe deeply, and the air we breathe, especially at night, matters more than we might think. While we sleep, our bodies are hard at work restoring, repairing and recharging. But that work can be quietly disrupted by what's floating in the air. Things like dust, pollen, and other allergens. I didn't used to think much about indoor air quality, but once I did, I realized if we care about what we eat and drink, why not care just as much about what we breathe? That's why I sleep with a Jasper air scrubber in my room. It has no annoying lights and doubles as a gentle white noise machine that's become essential to my bedtime rhythm. But more than anything, it's turned my bedroom into a sleep sanctuary. A space where the air helps me sleep deeply and peacefully. I can't recommend Jasper enough. You can learn more at Jasper Co. And if you use the code sleep, you'll get $300 off. That's J A S P R.co use code sleep for $300 off.
- [01:51]
Kathryn Nicolai
Welcome to Bedtime Stories for Everyone in which nothing much happens. You feel good and then you fall asleep. I'm Kathryn Nicolai. I write and read all the stories you hear and nothing much happens. Audio engineering is by Bob Wittersheim. We give to a different charity each week and this week we are giving to El's Place for Grieving Children. Elle's Place is a nonprofit, community based organization dedicated to creating awareness of and support for grieving children, teens and their families. You can learn more about them in our show Notes. I'd like to personally thank some recent Premium subscribers. So thank you Dr. Jill. Thank you Amanda. Thank you to Ben and Matilda. Your support helps us continue to bring this service to millions of people around the world. And that matters. That is People helping people. If you'd like to join their ranks and get our entire catalog of over 350 original episodes, bonuses and extra long apps all ad free for about a dime a day. Click the link in our bio. The first month is on us. Now I have a story to tell you. It is a way to gently unwind and guide your mind to someplace soft and safe. Just by listening, you'll build a reliable response that will help you fall asleep faster and return to sleep more easily the more you use it. Most people report that it takes about a month of regular use to see the best results. I'll tell the story twice, and I'll go a little slower the second time through. Our story tonight is called Walk, and it's a story about a little brown dog and his favorite outdoor activity. It's also about the smell of watered lawns in the evening, a Frisbee and friends from down the block, porch lights and watermelon, and the moment when you close the door on the day. So lights out, campers. Tuck yourself in and let your whole body relax. You are about to fall asleep, and you will sleep deep all night. Draw a deep breath in and sigh it out. One more breathe in and let it out. Good walk we'd just finished dinner. I was still sitting at the table on the back patio, leaning back in my chair with my hand resting on my full belly. We'd had corn on the cob, veggie burgers with all the fixings, and tiny potatoes we'd cooked right on the grill and tossed with herbs and olive oil. We had a watermelon, ripe and ready.
- [06:32]
Host
To cut, but I think both of.
- [06:35]
Kathryn Nicolai
Us were too full to do more than look at it right now. Birdie, our greyhound, was lying under the.
- [06:47]
Host
Table.
- [06:49]
Kathryn Nicolai
With his long flank resting on my foot. Often when we ate, he stretched out under the legs of our chairs. By now he trained us to be.
- [07:06]
Host
Careful before we stood up.
- [07:10]
Kathryn Nicolai
I think it was his gentle way of keeping track of us. He'd have a paw touching his dad's ankle, his hip touching mine, and that way he knew even as he slept.
- [07:30]
Host
That we were close.
- [07:34]
Kathryn Nicolai
Crumb, his smaller and scruffier brother, was another story. He spent most of dinner jumping and.
- [07:45]
Host
Fussing.
- [07:48]
Kathryn Nicolai
Trying to get our attention with.
- [07:50]
Host
Each bite.
- [07:52]
Kathryn Nicolai
Just in case, you know, we'd forgotten he was there and were interested in handing over a bit of the burger, a few of those crispy potatoes, or the last bite of the bun. We didn't feed him from the table, or at least I didn't, so I don't know where he could have learned such behavior. And tonight he was particularly revved up.
- [08:30]
Host
We'd both had busy days, and he'd.
- [08:34]
Kathryn Nicolai
Missed his morning walk. His dad was carrying plates into the house, and I could hear the sink filling up with water as he came back for the last few dishes. He leaned close to my ear and.
- [08:55]
Host
Said.
- [08:57]
Kathryn Nicolai
I think he might want to go for a Don't say it, I whispered hurriedly. He cleared his throat.
- [09:08]
Host
For a w a L K.
- [09:13]
Kathryn Nicolai
We both looked at Crumb, who was watching us intently, his head tipped to one side. I don't think we were actually fooling him. He knew just from the words go for a that his favorite activity was being discussed. We had various strategies for speaking about it in ways we hoped wouldn't turn him into a lamp, knocking over screen door ripping, mom and dad tripping tornado. We sometimes called it his daily constitutional or perambulation time or simply a W. But he often cottoned on to us as he seemed to now. He'd sprung to his feet and was sweeping his tail back and forth wildly behind him. His eyes were wide and he kept switching his gaze from one to the other of us, waiting to see who was going to get up and put their shoes on. Okay, Crumbleberry, I said, clapping my hands onto my thighs and standing up. We'll go. I figured I may as well let him get excited out here. Since there weren't any lamps to knock.
- [11:08]
Host
Over.
- [11:11]
Kathryn Nicolai
I had to carefully wiggle my foot out from under Birdie, who I knew would much rather snooze the evening away than lope down the sidewalk with Crumb and me. I scanned the windows looking for our cat marmalade and finally noticed a bundle of orange fur pressed against the screen in our bedroom. She too was well into her post dinner nap. I turned to go in the house for shoes and the leash when the screen slid back and they were pushed into my hands. I chuckled, knowing this was as much a courtesy to me as it was a way to keep Crumb out from under his feet while he did the dishes. This way we could go straight through the garden gate and out onto the street. I guess he sure told us, didn't he, Crumb, I said as I stepped into my shoes and clipped the leash in place. Crumb responded by turning and pulling me with all his force over to the gate, and a few moments later we were out on the sidewalk taking in the evening air together. And the air did smell good tonight, that sweet summer freshness of watered lawns and flower gardens. As Crumbs sniffed through the grass, I drew deep lungfuls of it in and sighed it out. Crumb and I had walked these streets so many times together, years of early spring, ripe summer, and chilly fall trips around the neighborhood.
- [13:48]
Host
I smiled to myself as I watched his confident little trot. The tips of his ears bounced with each step and he held his head high.
- [14:03]
Kathryn Nicolai
I did the same even when I.
- [14:07]
Host
Thought I was too tired for a.
- [14:09]
Kathryn Nicolai
Walk, usually within the first hundred steps.
- [14:15]
Host
I'd start to feel my mood rising, and tonight was no exception. We turned a corner and spotted a.
- [14:27]
Kathryn Nicolai
Familiar group coming our way. Crumb began to pull at the leash.
- [14:35]
Host
Excited to meet up with his friends.
- [14:40]
Kathryn Nicolai
Clover, a sweet golden retriever who was just starting to show some gray on.
- [14:48]
Host
Her face, and her little brother Crimson.
- [14:54]
Kathryn Nicolai
An Irish setter pup with beautiful red.
- [14:58]
Host
Fur, were striding toward us with their two boys.
- [15:06]
Kathryn Nicolai
Crimson was growing so fast.
- [15:11]
Host
He'D been closer to Crumb size the last time we'd seen him.
- [15:17]
Kathryn Nicolai
But now he was.
- [15:19]
Host
Almost as big as Clover, and his ears were long and droopy. He had a long nose as well that he still looked to be growing into. When the dogs got close enough, they began to sniff and drop into play boughs and bark. Clover sat down, panting slightly, while the younger pups circled each other. I noticed one of the boys had a Frisbee in his hand, and I asked if they were heading to the park. The younger brother, who usually didn't talk much, seemed to have grown out of his shyness because he spoke right up to tell me that they were. But first they were going to their aunt's house to see if she wanted to go, too, and also she has ice cream bars in her fridge. Smart plan, I said and let them go on their way. Crumb and Crimson had to be coaxed apart, and I promised I'd bring him around to their yard on Saturday for a play date. We turned another corner and I could start to feel Crumb slowing down. The desperate energy he'd started with was mellowing into a relaxed pace, and he paused to leisurely sniff more deeply. The porch light was on when we climbed the front steps, and Marmalade met us meowing at the door. I brought him back. Marmee, I said as I unclipped his leash and eased out of my shoes. From the kitchen I could hear the clink of dishes being put away and the click of Birdie's toenails on the tile. Crumb raced off to lap at his water bowl, and I sighed and paused before closing the door, looking out on our quiet street, the lit windows of our neighbors, and the long shadows on the lawns. Good night, everyone, I thought. W A L K We'd just finished dinner. I was still sitting at the table on the back patio, leaning back in my chair with my hand resting on my full belly. We'd had corn on the cob, veggie burgers with all the fixings, and tiny potatoes we'd cooked right on the grill and tossed with herbs and olive oil, and we had a watermelon, ripe and ready to cut, but I think both of us were too full to do more than look at it right now. Birdie, our greyhound, was lying under the table with his long flank resting on my foot. Often when we ate, he stretched out under the legs of our chairs. By now he'd trained us to be careful before we stood up. I think it was his gentle way of keeping track of us. He'd have a paw touching his dad's ankle, his hip touching mine, and that way he knew even as he slept that we were close. Crumb, his smaller and scruffier brother, was another story. He spent most of dinner jumping and fussing, trying to get our attention with each bite, just in case, you know, we'd forgotten he was there and were interested in handing over a bit of the burger, a few of those crispy potatoes, or the last bite of the bun. We didn't feed him from the table, or at least I didn't, so I don't know where he could have learned such behavior. And tonight he was particularly revved up. We'd both had busy days and he'd missed his morning walk. His dad was carrying plates into the house, and I could hear the sink filling up with water as he came back for the last few dishes. He leaned close to my ear and said, I think he might want to go for a Don't say it, I whispered hurriedly. He cleared his throat for a W, a L K. We both looked at Crumb, who was watching us intently, his head tipped to one side. I don't think we were actually fooling him. He knew just from the words go for A that his favorite activity was being discussed. We had various strategies for speaking about it in ways we hoped wouldn't turn him into a lamp knocking over screen door, ripping, mom and dad tripping Tornado. Sometimes we called it his daily constitutional, or perambulation time, or simply a W, but he often cottoned on to us as he seemed to now. He'd sprung to his feet and was sweeping his tail back and forth wildly behind him. His eyes were wide and he kept switching his gaze from one to the other of us, waiting to see who was going to get up and put their shoes on. Okay, Crumbleberry, I said, clapping my hands onto my thighs and standing up. We will go. I figured I may as well let him get excited out here. Since there weren't any lamps to knock over, I had to carefully wiggle one foot out from under Birdie, who I knew would much rather snooze the evening away then lope down the sidewalk with Crumb and me. I scanned the windows looking for our cat marmalade and finally noticed a bundle of orange fur pressed against the screen in our bedroom. She too was well into her post dinner nap. I turned to go in the house for shoes and leash when the screen slid back and they were pushed into my hands. I chuckled, knowing this was as much a courtesy to me as it was a way to keep Crumb out from under his feet while he did the dishes. This way we could go straight through the garden gate and out onto the street. I guess he sure told us, didn't he, Crumb? I said as I stepped into my shoes and clipped the leash in place. Crumb responded by turning and pulling me with all his force over to the gate, and a few moments later we were out on the sidewalk taking in the evening air together.
- [27:55]
Kathryn Nicolai
And the air did smell good tonight.
- [27:59]
Host
That sweet summer freshness of watered lawns and flower gardens. As Crumbs sniffed through the grass, I drew deep lungfuls of it in and sighed it out. Crumb and I had walked these streets so many times together, years of early spring, ripe summer, and chilly fall trips around the neighborhood. I smiled to myself as I watched his confident little trot. The tips of his ears bounced with each step and he held his head high. I did the same even when I thought I was too tired for a walk. Usually within the first hundred steps I'd start to feel my mood rising. Tonight was no exception. We turned a corner and spotted a familiar group coming our way. Crumb began to pull at the leash, excited to meet up with his friends. Clover, a sweet golden retriever who was just starting to show some gray on her face, and her little brother. Crimson, an Irish setter pup with beautiful red fur, were striding toward us with their two boys. Crimson was growing so fast he'd been closer to Crumb size the last time we'd seen him, but now he was almost as big as Clover and his ears were long and droopy. He had a long nose as well that he was still growing into. When the dogs got close enough, they began to sniff and drop into play boughs and bark. Clover sat down panting slightly while the younger pups circled each other. I noticed one of the boys had a Frisbee in his hand and I asked if they were heading to the park. The younger brother, who usually didn't talk much, seemed to have grown out of his shyness because he spoke right up to tell me they were, but first they were going to their aunt's house to see if she wanted to go, too. And also she has ice cream bars in her fridge. Smart plan, I said and let them go on their way. Crumb and Crimson had to be coaxed apart, and I promised I'd bring him around to their yard on Saturday for a play date. We turned another corner and I could start to feel Crumb slowing down. The desperate energy he'd started with was mellowing into a relaxed pace, and he paused to leisurely sniff more deeply. The porch light was on when we climbed the front steps and Marmalade met us meowing at the door. I brought him back. Marmee, I said as I unclipped his leash and eased out of my shoes. From the kitchen I could hear the clink of dishes being put away and the click of Birdie's toenails on the tile. Crumb raced off to lap at his water bowl, and I sighed and paused before closing the door, looking out on our quiet street, the lit windows of our neighbors, and the long shadows on the lawns. Good night, everyone, I thought. Sweet dreams.