Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Special Snow

Starting point is 00:00:00 Before tonight's episode, I want to let you know about our supporters' feed Get Sleepy Premium, the best way to experience the show and get a good night's sleep. With Get Sleepy Premium, everything is ad-free. You'll receive a bonus episode every week, and have full access to our entire back catalogue. Your support really helps, and means so much to us. Simply tap the link in the show notes to learn more. Now, a quick word from our sponsors who make it possible for us to bring you two three episodes each week. Have you ever wished that we'd include soothing nature sounds as a background

Starting point is 00:00:41 throughout a get sleepy episode? sounds as a background throughout a get sleepy episode. For example, maybe you would like to pair tonight's story with the sound of gentle rainfall. Well, now you can. We have partnered with the Deep Sleep Sounds app to help you create soothing soundscapes that will play in the background while you're listening to get sleepy. Here's what you need to do. Simply download the Deep Sleep Sounds app, choose your preferred sound and add it to the mix by tapping in the circle next to it. Make sure you go to the controls tab within the deep sleep sounds app and

Starting point is 00:01:27 toggle the button to allow background audio. This will mean you can listen to get sleepy and the app sounds at the same time and you can control the volume of the specific sounds in the mix tab. It's the ultimate sleep experience. Through our partnership with Deep Sleep Sounds, you can get a 30 day free trial by going to deepsleepsounds.com slash getsleepy. That's deepsleepsounds.com slash GetSleepy or just follow the link in the show notes for a 30 day free trial of the DeepSleepSounds app. Welcome to GetSleepy, the podcast where we listen, we relax and we get Sleepy I'm Tom, your host. Thanks so much for being here tonight.

Starting point is 00:02:31 Elizabeth will be reading our story this evening and don't forget that she's the host of our sister podcast, the Sleepy Bookshelf, where she's just started reading Anne of Green Gables. As for tonight's story, a little girl who lives in a warm weather climate has always dreamed of snow and tonight she'll enjoy the magic of winter weather for the first time with her beloved pet dog. So make yourself nice and comfortable in bed, snuggling up in whatever position feels best. Take a moment to appreciate the coziness of the space you're in, peaceful and calm, and enjoy the feeling of the mattress supporting your body can help any thought sore worries circling round in your mind to just gradually fade away.

Starting point is 00:04:01 There is nothing more you need to do in this moment. You've done all you can today, and now you deserve this time to rest. Even if there were one or two things you didn't get round to today, let go of burdening your mind with them for now. You'll have another opportunity to get things done tomorrow. Take a nice deep breath in through the nose and gently out through the mouth. As the air flows in and out of your lungs, your awareness of the day continues to fade. All you have to do now is listen along to the sound of Elizabeth's voice. Our story begins early one morning, while our friend Albert is still sleeping. Little did she know that a world of powdery white is waiting outside her window. Albert's bedroom was pure white. The ceiling, the floor, and everything in between was the same colour as milk. The little girl loved colour, but she dreamt of a world of snow.

Starting point is 00:06:20 She'd never seen it before, where she lived, it was always warm. Despite the never-ending summer outside, most of her dolls wore mittens and caps because it was always snowing in Albus wild. She imagined being surrounded by a pure, glistening landscape while frozen crystals descended from the sky. Although she'd never witnessed a snowfall, she'd seen it in videos, enough to recreate the magical phenomenon in her bedroom. She cut snowflakes from paper, but these didn't melt. She used the feathers in her pillow, but these weren't cold. And sometimes she would sneak into the kitchen and check inside the freezer, though ice cubes were cold, they They looked nothing like snowflakes and they couldn't dance in the sky.

Starting point is 00:07:50 On her sixth birthday, Alba was gifted a dog. It was furry, white and cuddling with big, puppy eyes. The moment she saw it, Albert knew. This was her new best friend. She named him Tundra. From now on, she would take him on her imaginary winter adventures. Every day after school, Alba came home excited. As she stepped into her house, she left the arid climber to outdoors, with its dry soil and high temperatures, and entered the imaginary snow kingdom in her room. Together with Tundra, she lived in a winter wonderland.

Starting point is 00:09:07 Sometimes they used cotton balls to create snow people. Other times they painted trees with branches covered in frost. And after all the fun, they crawled under the bed, pretending they were tucked away in a warm cabin. Tundra, being a trusty and watchful pup, always kept an eye out for blizzards coming over the snow-capped mountains, or hungry bears looking for a snack. At least that was howba thought when he'd bark at a bird just outside the window. Pundra was a great listener. He would cuddle up in bed with Albert while she read from picture books, whether they

Starting point is 00:10:15 were about winter or not. Listening to her read, he would always yorn and close his big brown eyes. Then, his breathing would soften, his tail would stop wiggling and soon he'd drift off to doggie dreamland. She'd watch as he slapped peacefully and pet him gently on the head. She always wondered what puppy's dreamt about. Alba often begged her parents to take her to the snowy mountains, or to a country covered in ice. She wanted to touch the snow, make a snowman, and catch snowflake on her tongue, but these kinds of wintry places were very far away.

Starting point is 00:11:34 Every night she wished to visit a real winter wonderland someday, but so far, her wishes had never been granted. Her persistence paid off, though. This particular night was special, as the sleepy girl made her wish a bright star fell from the sky. When she opened her eyes the next morning, her room had a different kind of brightness. It wasn't the warm sunlight she was used to. Albert called out to Tundra, who was looking out the window. As he turned to greet her, he leaped with joy, darting back and forth between the bed and the window. Curious about what was going on,

Starting point is 00:12:50 Alba pushed her covers aside and walked towards the window. Through the crack between her curtains, she saw big white flakes falling from the sky like confetti. She gasped and pulled the curtains open. Outside it was snowing. She couldn't believe it. For a few minutes, Albert just watched the snow fall. The longer she looked, the happier she felt. Tundra was mesmerized as well. was mesmerized as well. The pup had never seen snow either. Alba looked up to the sky, trying to watch a single snowflake on its path down.

Starting point is 00:13:59 In her mind, each bright crystal was on a journey. She imagined that this journey started with a cloud shedding its snowflakes like a tree shedding its autumn leaves. In the air the snowflakes learned how to twirl and dance. And then, once they learned these lessons, they drift down and reunite with all the other dancing snowflakes had completed their journey. A thin, delicate powder covered the neighbourhood roofs, trees, roads and sidewalks. The fresh layer of snow, glistened in the pale morning sun. Tundra started running back and forth. He'd had enough of watching. Albert shared his enthusiasm. She knew that before going outside, there was one last thing they had to do. Get dressed for the chilly weather.

Starting point is 00:15:38 She found an old green sweater for Tundra. After a few adjustments, the pub looked quite fond of his new winter outfit. Now it was Alva's turn. A pair of gloves and a knitted cap would have been wonderful, her, would have been wonderful, but only her dolls were prepared for this kind of weather. All of the clothes in her closet were meant to keep her cool instead of warm. There were no thick coats or fluffy scarves. all fluffy scars. As she sighed, not knowing what to do, she heard a familiar knock on the door. Her parents opened the door and caught a glimpse of Tundra in his green sweater. sweater. You must have looked outside, Alba's mom said with a grin. The little girl giggled, her eyes sparkled brighter than the snow. Her dad pulled a package out from behind his back. Alba unwrapped it eagerly and found a thick, warm jacket, a pair of glass, and a matching knitted cap, all in her favorite colour.

Starting point is 00:17:21 She hugged her parents with delight. Now she was ready to play in the snow. When she opened the door to the backyard, the dog sprinted past her. He jumped right in the snow without a moment's pause. At first he didn't really know what to do. He took a big mouthful and chewed it, but that didn't seem right. He resulted to rolling around in mounds of snow. Albert smiled at her puppies' joy and walked outside.

Starting point is 00:18:15 The crisp air pinched her face gently. She'd always been curious about what the air felt like when it snowed. Now she was experiencing it, sully. She noticed the change in her breath first. No matter if she inhaled through her nose or her mouth, each breath felt fresh like mint. But each breath out was warm and white, like the lazy steam of an old locomotive. Tundra's breath formed little clouds as he happily inspected the snow covered back yard. Albert Giggled. She felt like a powerful giant whenever the snow crunched under the pressure of her boots. It was a funny sound that wasn't captured in picture books. Every step left a clear print in the snow with the shape of her foot and the lines of her shoes

Starting point is 00:19:41 crossing in between. She looked at the footprints for a while. Minutes ago, the layer of snow was untouched. Now there was a trail forming behind her. The new gloves were warm and soft, but Albert knew that she needed to feel the snow on her bare hands. She took off her gloves and stuffed them inside the pockets of her jacket. Then she closed her eyes, stretched out her palms towards the sky and stood, as still as she possibly could. She felt the touch of every delicate flake that landed on her hands. Each was cool just for an instant, and then it would melt and fade away only to be replaced by another. While Alba stood still, the dog tried to catch some of the flying crystals in mid-air. He ran back and forth after the biggest flakes, but he found snowflakes a bit confusing.

Starting point is 00:21:26 They would disappear the second that he caught them. He returned to sniffing around in piles of snow as curious as ever. Alba wandered over to a small wooden bench where snow had piled up on the sea. She ran her finger along the edge. It was soft, cold and wet at the same time. Looking at it up close, she could see the shapes of so many crystals. Every snowflake is unique, she said with a wonder in her eyes. With a bark, Tundra seemed to approve. After playing with snow for a few minutes, Albus fingers began to turn red and feel slightly numb. She put her warm gloves back on and began to scoop snow with both hands. She took two handfuls and

Starting point is 00:22:51 pressed her palms together, creating a compact little ball. How funny that they float down individually, but stick together once they land, Albert thought. With a few snowballs ready, she tossed them playfully towards the dog. With a link, he tried to catch them in his mouth. Next, Alba found an untouched patch of snow without any imprints from boots or paws. She lay down flat on her back. Curious about what was going on, Tundra started licking her cheek. It was cute, wet and quite unexpected. Alba's cheerful laughter danced swung them up and down a couple of times.

Starting point is 00:24:15 Then she stood up slowly, careful not to disturb the snow. Her first snow angel was beautiful, despite a few paw prints around the outside. Albert and Tundra spent the entire day trying new things in their winter wonderland. things in their winter wonderland. Time flew by, but to the little girl and her pup, it was frozen like the snow they played in. They built a snowman form a spiral maze, and even started a snow castle. Eventually, the sun began to set, and it was time to go back inside. Alba stomped her feet in front of the house to get the snow off her boots. When her mom crawled for her twice, she quickly cleaned up and opened the door to the kitchen carefully. It wasn't until she entered the warmth of her home that she realized she couldn't feel her nose.

Starting point is 00:25:51 After thawing for a moment, her nose detected the finest of smells, freshly baked cookies. Alba sat down at the dinner table. She told her parents all about the snow. The games you could play in it, the differences between snowflakes and how to make a snow angel. make a snow angel. It was different than all those evenings she played in her room. Snow was better than she'd ever dreamed it would be. After a warm meal, Albus mum brought Alba's mom brought out the freshly baked cookies. They were warm and soft. Alba took one in both hands and bent it in half, watching as bits of melted chocolate dripped down the edges.

Starting point is 00:27:03 Tundra watched longingly, he too deserved a treat after such a wonderful day. So, Alba finished her cooking and fed her pup a dog treat which he gobbled up in the blink of an eye. Albert climbed the stairs up to her room, only now did the excitement of the day wear off. She was awfully tired. A sleepy tundra followed her sluggishly up the stairs. She changed into fresh, warm clothes, and realized that one of the best things about being out in the snow is warming yourself up again. She went to the window and looked outside. The day had turned to night. Street lights shone in a bright yellow, reflecting off the powdery white ground, it was still snowing. The trails along the sidewalks disappeared as fresh snow fell.

Starting point is 00:28:38 Layer by layer, the new snowflakes were reunited with those on the ground. They had completed their journey. The sea of snow seemed to twinkle brighter in the darkness of the night. No wonder they shine, their shapes shaped like tiny stars, Albert thought. She crawled into bed, where Tundra had already found his usual spot. He looked exhaled in after all the fun they'd had outside. After all the fun they'd had outside. She covered him up with her blanket and pulled out her favourite picture book. She flipped through the pages, full of winter wonderlands that looked just like the one

Starting point is 00:29:43 right outside her bedroom window. After a long yorn, Albert put the picture book aside and snuggled down into her bed. When he felt her move, Tundra opened his eyes halfway. He crawled, close said to the little girl, until his nose touched hers. They drifted comfortably to sleep. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... you you

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Special Snow

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