Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Dreamy Ride Among the Clouds

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to Get Sleepy. When we listen, we relax and we get sleepy. My name's Thomas. Thank you so much for being here. I'll be reading tonight's story which was written by Tom Nicholson. We're going on a gentle, magical, hot air balloon ride across some of the most beautiful countryside in Britain, the Lake District. We'll swoop over hills and valleys, learn about the history of this ancient landscape and make a couple of new friends along the way, before we float into a deep, peaceful sleep. First though, a big thank you to BetterHelp for sponsoring tonight's episode. Getting to know yourself can be a lifelong process, especially because we're always growing

Starting point is 00:01:10 and evolving. What I think is great is that it feels to me that opening up about our mental health and the internal difficulties that we all go through at times is becoming more and more normalized just as it should be. But those conversations can still be very difficult for some people, and that's where professional therapists can really help. Better help is professional therapy, all done entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule.

Starting point is 00:01:46 From my experience, therapy can really help you understand and break down what you're feeling and why that might be and provide you with coping strategies to take forward. So discover your potential with better help. Visit betterhelp.com-get-sleepy to get 10% off your first month. That's better help-h-e-l-p.com-get-sleepy. And a big thanks to RocketMoney for their support. We're living in the age of subscriptions, with everything from entertainment to exercise and healthcare being available by a subscription. And that makes it pretty easy to forget which subscriptions were signed up to, but perhaps

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Starting point is 00:03:28 roc keet m o n e y dot com slash get sleepy that's rocket money dot com slash get sleepy Okay my friends, it's time to relax and unwind now, so we can enjoy tonight's story in the best possible frame of mind. So make sure you're comfortable in your bed, allowing your body to adjust if needed, and resting your head softly into your pillow. Any tension or stress you can feel within can melt away as you allow the weight of your body to completely relax into the supportive surface below. If you're already feeling sleepy, then just enjoy that feeling and allow yourself to go with it. If you're not quite there yet though, and you sense excess energy in your body, and and some resistance to let go and rest. Just join me for a few deep breaths.

Starting point is 00:05:14 Breathing in slowly and allowing tension to collect in your shoulders. orders. Then relaxing them back down as you exhale. We'll do one more together, but you're welcome to continue in your own time for as long as you'd like. Breathe in deeply, hold the tension Feeling it flow, out and away. I hope you're feeling relaxed and unburdened. And with this increased sense of carefree weightlessness, It's time to climb aboard the hot air balloon and float away into the land of dreams. Gentle sunlight falls across your path as you walk slowly down a silent country road. Its spring here in the lake district in northern England and the air is still and crisp on this chilly April morning. The Sikamore trees which dot the side of the road are starting to butt fresh leaves. But there is still a small pile of winter's fallen leaves built up on the grass-verge of the road.

Starting point is 00:08:08 You check to see no bodies around, then swish a foot through the leaves and launch them high into the air in front of you. Down they come, swirling and twisting against the bright blue sky. Deep red, amber, burnt orange and nut brown. As you step through the leaves, you feel them crunch and crackle under your walking boots. You smile to yourself. A sign at the side of the road tells you that you've just arrived in the village of Loiswater. Your breath rises in front of you as you walk, but the sun is warm on the side of your cheek. You tuck your chin down into the top of your thick padded coat and turn a corner to your right.

Starting point is 00:09:29 Putting out a hand, you run your fingers against the dry stone wall beside you. The light grey chunks of granite are marked by white spots of lycan and deep green, earth-centred moss. The rough surface of the stones lightly scuffs your fingertips. As you turn around the bend, your view changes. In front of you are broad open fields full of sheep meandering through long, duly grass. Beyond them are three hills. Three Hills. As you walk and the sun continues to rise, the hills slowly light up and reveal their stony cracks and scattered bushes, as well as the deep valley to which they guard the entrance.

Starting point is 00:10:47 Even from this distance, you can see the iron-gray surface of Chromac water, silent and still. You're not heading towards those hills though. Today is a very special day. Hopping over a wooden style, you see what you've come here for. In a small field, ringed with older and ash trees, a hot air balloon stands ready to take off. There's nobody else around. The rainbow-striped canopy, below and ripples. Many, below and ripples. Walking towards the balloon across the field, you can feel the heat from the burners, growing stronger and stronger. When you reach the balloon, you spot an inquisitive squirrel that's edged closer to find out what's going on.

Starting point is 00:12:07 Just as you put one hand on the wicker basket, the burners give two quick cheery flares. It seems keen for you to get in. The squirrel skitters back to the head-row. It looks like hot air ballooning isn't for everyone. You hoist yourself into the basket as gracefully as you can. Inside, the basket is nearly bare. There's a blanket and a cushion, and in a corner, there's a small wooden box. It might be walnut, you suppose, or maybe rosewood. The box is simple, but well made. It looks old too.

Starting point is 00:13:17 The lip of its lid has worn to a much lighter brown than the rest of it. And as you run your fingers over its knotted surface, you realise the smoothness you feel comes from constant use over many years. The lid opens with a soft squeak. Inside the box is a folded piece of paper. It unfolds as you pick it up and a smell of rich, woody agedness hits your nostrils. It's a map of the lake district. You see a little red dot marking where you are right now, just between the two lakes of Lose Water and Chromac Water. As you go to fold the map back up, another piece of paper slips out of it. It twists and spins as it tumbles towards the floor of the basket, but you stoop and catch it between two fingers.

Starting point is 00:14:48 Unfolding it, you see that it's a handwritten note. Who is it from? It doesn't say. Only five words are written on it. I know where to go. With a flare of the banners, you feel the basket lifting ever so slightly off the ground. This balloon really does seem to know where it's going. You fold up the map and put it into your pocket.

Starting point is 00:15:37 Another burst of heat lifts the balloon again. Smoothly, almost without you even feeling it happening, you climb higher and higher. The tops of the tallest ash trees are beneath you now. Looking down, the sheep in the fields are tiny, smaller than the nail on your little finger. As you rise further and further, the balloon moves out of the shadow of the valley. The warm morning sun feels like it's filling your body with light and contentment. Being in this rising balloon feels like being waitress. Everything around you is silent. The air smells clean and fresh. As you climb, more and more of the Lakeland landscape opens up around you.

Starting point is 00:17:02 Now you're flying level with the tops of the hills, and you can see most of the lake district below you. You take out the map once again. To the south, you can just make out the ironwork of black pool tower. It was opened back in 1894 and looks just like the Eiffel Tower. If you shield your eyes against the rising sun, you can even see the ocean glinting in the distance beyond the Cumbrian coastline. There's definitely a faint saltiness blowing in on the cool morning air. Birds wheel and glide nearby.

Starting point is 00:18:05 The hills and fells around you are golden and green in the early light. Over many thousands of lifetimes, they and all of their intricate gullies, cracks, streams and dals were made by water and wind and time. Ice ages over the last two million years covered this region in glaciers, which slowly carved the land into the shapes you see around you, digging out deep gouges with rivers of ice. That left these U-shaped valleys and the deep lakes at the heart of them, as well as the smaller hillside lakes known as Tarns, which you can make out toward the tops of some peaks. You take a deep breath, leaning against the rim of the basket, a sense of gratitude for the scene washes over you. You close your eyes and let the sunlight warm your face and your neck. A wave of calm passes over you. It seems to move from your head to your shoulders

Starting point is 00:19:55 and down your arms and your hands to your fingers. It rolls down your torso to your hips and down each leg to the very tips of your toes. Opening your eyes, you look over the edge of the basket and realize you're flying over a hill with two peaks. You know that, Hill. That's Hencom. That must mean you're heading south. Sure enough, looking down the valley, you can see the water of bottom air, glinting in the sun. Just to double check, you pull out the map again. that little red dot has moved down the valley as though tracing the path the balloon is taking.

Starting point is 00:21:11 You refold the map, wait a couple of seconds, then look again. The little red dot is definitely a bit closer to bottom here than it was. Smiling, you tuck away the magical map for later. Gliding along the valley, away from the inner-day water, you look down at the tiny sheep grazing beneath you. As you look, a pair of huge birds of prey whip past beneath the basket. You follow them as they glide in spirals before beating their wings deeply and slowly. Both have dark grey feathers on their backs and rounded tails, and rounded tails. But one is much larger than the other. As they wheel and bank, you see that their bodies are speckled, white and gray. There are beautiful bands of dark gray and white, running all the way down the undersides of their wings.

Starting point is 00:22:49 They have long yellow legs and their deep amber eyes, flash as they sweep past again. You've just spotted a pair of goss hawks, and you're very lucky to see them. Not long ago, they were nearly extinct here. Even now, they're difficult to spot. They usually stay close to woodlands, building nests near the bases of trees. Those amazing red eyes allow them to see their way through thick woodland with ease. The two birds swoop together, still flapping their wings lazily, and turn away into the rising sun. The bright blue sky is a little hazy now. You're pretty high up, and the thin clouds are still a long, long way above you. An odd but beautiful halo shines around the sun. That tells you that these are serostratous clouds.

Starting point is 00:24:27 They're made up of tiny ice crystals, which float thousands of feet above the ground. When sunlight hits these tiny ice crystals, that light is reflected and refracted by them, making this beautiful effect. Looking out to the east, the clouds are thicker and darker. Over the sea, it even looks like there might be a storm brewing. In this part of the world, westerly winds blow in across the Atlantic towards the lake district. They pick up moisture on their way, before hitting the peaks and hills of Cumbria, where the moisture cools as it rises, before falling as rain. That's why the lake district is so green and lush. The hot air balloon has brought you to a new cluster of peaks, but there's

Starting point is 00:25:53 one hilltop which looks a bit higher than the others around you, and you realise that you are rising to meet it. Scuffle Pike is the highest peak in England. Pulling out your map, you note that it's 978 meters tall. Though it looks tranquil today, hundreds of millions of years ago, Scaffle Pike was part of a vast volcanic island arc, like those in the Pacific. Around 20,000 years ago, the glaciers shaped its ridges and gouges. You can see them clearly now as you pass close to the very tip of scaffold pike. There are a dozen or so walkers wearing sturdy boots, waterproof jackets and helmets, moving carefully toward a circular pile of stones, which marks the highest point. They look tiny all the way down there. One of the walkers looks up and notices the balloon drifting by. The tiny person starts waving to you. Gradually the walker's friends notice and one by one they join in.

Starting point is 00:27:48 Grinning, you wave back to them until you've drifted all the way around the peak and started to descend on the other side. As you begin to leave scaffold pike behind you, something else catches your eye, something very unexpected. At the top of an outcrop below you, you can see what looks like a huge square with rounded corners. Looking more closely, you spot three more shapes on the ground. What are they you wonder? As if sensing your curiosity, the balloon swoops a little lower. Now you can tell that those shapes on the ground are low walls. Memories of buildings which were constructed here many centuries ago. You're looking at the footprint of hard-nought Roman fort.

Starting point is 00:29:15 It has stood on this isolated hilltop for nearly 2,000 years guarding the valley. Back in the early part of the second century CE, soldiers under the command of Emperor Hadrian built this 3 acre fort. It was one of the most solitary remote forts in Britain. It was constructed by the garrison of the fourth cohort of Dalmatians, an infantry regiment which originally came from modern day Croatia and around the Balkans. Those shapes you see on the ground are the outlines of the Garrison's headquarters, the commander's house, and a granary.

Starting point is 00:30:19 The 500 soldiers who were stationed here would have lived in leather tents and paraded on the flat square of ground you see on the hilltop. Countless miles from where they grew up, people from all around the world would have tried to make this little corner of northern England feel like home. Drifting down the Eskdale Valley, you imagine how it must have felt for them to look up at the cracks and summits around Hardnut on a day like today. Just like you, they would have gazed at the stunning landscape around them in wonder. With a gentle swoop, the balloon changes direction. You check your map.

Starting point is 00:31:31 The red dot seems to be moving towards a peak marked as the old man of Conniston. A funny name for a hill you think looking ahead. When you glance back at the map, an extra note has appeared under the name of the hill. The name it explains is probably a mixture of two old names in the area. The ancient Celtic for high stone was Altman, and the Norse name for the town nearby was Conning's tune or King's Farm. Other people, though, swear that from the town of Coniston, one of the hill's ridges looks just like the profile of a man lying down. As you pass the old man of Coniston, remains of ancient slate quarries and copper mines become clearer. There are iron tracks for carts, great cable cars for hauling tons of rock up and down the hillside,

Starting point is 00:33:01 and shacks where once workers would have taken shelter from the Cumbrian rain with flasks of hot tea. Today though, everything is quiet. Soon, you're on the other side of the hill. There is a long, thin expanse of water ahead of you. It is called Connisterm Water, and it is one of the largest bodies of water in all of the lake district. You're approaching its western shore. Half a mile away on the east shore. You can see a large white house with three floors sprawling over the hillside.

Starting point is 00:34:02 Its walls are surrounded by gardens and woodland. Your map tells you that this huge building is Brantwood, the home of the Victorian writer, John Ruskin. In the second half of the 19th century, he became one of Britain's most celebrated philosophers and intellectuals, and wrote about everything from myths and archaeology to politics and literature. The map isn't finished sharing its information with you though. Gradually, more words fade into view by the outline of Brantwood. It's a piece of writing by Ruskin himself, which reads, When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight, nor for present use alone.

Starting point is 00:35:21 Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for. And let us think as we lay stone that a time will come when those stones will be held sacred, because our hands have touched them, and men will say as they look upon the labour and wrought substances of them. See this, our fathers did for us. Looking around at the lake below you, at the hills and the valleys and the fields. You think about the fact that this landscape has been here for thousands of years ago. In the centuries to come, people will see what you've seen today. It's sometimes easy to feel that things change too fast, that time whistles by like the wind.

Starting point is 00:36:51 Without knowing it, though, every day you lay a stone and another. And another, you add your stones to the stones laid by your loved ones and all the people you pass by every day. It's a beautiful image in your mind's eye. You shut your eyes now and feel the warm morning sun on your eyelids. The air is long, slow, deep breath in. And you hold it for a second. Then you breathe out. Everything is okay. The balloon seems to sense that you're ready to get back to solid ground. Smoothly and gradually, it carries you down, down, down towards the ground. The chat chart, the pubs, and the grey slate houses of Coniston, Lume larger and larger. You continue to drift down, feeling heavier and heavier. You land on the shingle beach at the water's edge, with a soft thud. As the basket comes to a stop, you hop over its lip and walk towards the line of trees just back from the beach.

Starting point is 00:39:15 The balloon, it appears, has places to be. It's already started to lift gradually from the ground again. As you turn to look back at the balloon, the burner flares twice as if to say a warm good buy. You watch as it rises into the sky. It flies across the lake and over-brantwood up and away. with a last blast of its burners, its slowly disappears from view. You hope you'll see it again someday. The sun is fully up now and it's warm on the beach. Your days started very early and you think you'll settle down for a little while in the shade of the silver barch trees. You get comfortable resting against a trunk comfortable, resting against a trunk and close your eyes. Distantly you hear church bells chiming and echoing down the hillsides and across the silent fields.

Starting point is 00:41:09 The water laps quietly at the shingle. You can hear the gentle bleeding of sheep and their young lambs too. You breathe deeply. You breathe deeply. You think of the clouds you saw earlier, passing by far away. Much like those clouds, you allow any stray thoughts that come into your head to arrive but then to drift away. And gradually you fall into a deep unsatisfied sleep. ... ... you ... ... ... you ... ... ... you ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... you you

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Dreamy Ride Among the Clouds

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