Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Around the Neighborhood (Premium)

Episode Date: April 14, 2021

This is a preview episode. Get the full episode, and many more, ad free, on our supporter's feed: https://getsleepy.com/support. Around the Neighbourhood Tonight, we'll leave the cares of the day behind us and enjoy the familiar comfort of quiet sidewalks after sunset. 😴  Sound design: suburban ambiance, birds.  Narrator: Heather Foster About Get Sleepy Premium: Help support the podcast, and get: Monday and Wednesday night episodes (with zero ads) The exclusive Thursday night bonus episode Access to the entire back catalog (also ad-free) Premium sleep meditations, extra-long episodes and more! We'll love you forever. ❤️ Get a 7 day free trial, and join the Get Sleepy community here https://getsleepy.com/support. And thank you so, so much.  Tom, and the team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi, Thomas here. You're listening to a preview episode. You can enjoy the entire story tonight by subscribing to our supporters' feed. There you'll get access to the entire back catalogue, bonus episodes, and more, and it's all completely ad-free. Click the link below to learn more and thank you so so much. Me and the team really appreciate your support. Through the front window, you can see the amber color of the fading sunlight lending its soft glow to the house across the street. It reminds you of a candle's flame as the shadows of tree branches dance across it. The trees themselves are darker now. Their brown trunks and green leaves turn silver and gray with the approaching dusk.

This is one of the most beautiful moments of the day. This is one of the most beautiful moments of the day. When you can watch the passage of time play out through the vibrant hues of sunset and the muted tones of evening. It might be nice to go outside and stretch your legs, you think. A walk around the neighborhood would be good for clearing your head before bedtime. You open the front door and peek outside, brushing your arm through the air to check the temperature. The afternoon sun has left a touch of warmth that radiates up from the stone porch. But a cool breeze signals that you'll need to put on your sweater tonight. From the hidden places around the front lawn, you hear the familiar hum of crickets. They're tucked away behind the bushes and among the blades of grass.

Closing the front door, you walk back into the hall and slide your feet into your walking shoes. You lace them up and add a double knot so they won't come loose. From the closet you pull your lightweight sweater off its hanger and put it on one arm at a time. It's made of cotton and fits you with a little extra room. It's not so thick that you'll get hot as you walk, but has just the right amount of fabric to keep away the evening chill.

Before heading outside, you flick the switch by the door and watch the porch light blink to life. It will be the beacon guiding you back to the comfort of home when you're finished with your walk. With the final glance at the hull, you step out the door, clicking its shut behind you. The street is bathed in the deep blues and purples of early dusk. A few solitary clouds drift by overhead. No longer puffy and white in the midday sun, they've turned periwinkle in the dim twilight. For a moment you allow your eyes to follow

the path of one meandering cloud. Guided by an unseen breeze, it passes above you, and then moves away, off toward the mountains in the distance. You watch it gently change shape as it floats by. Then your gaze moves down to the ground level. A small cricket hops across the road and into the yellow pool of light, given off by a street lamp. It stays there for a few seconds before launching itself into the sidewalk and then into someone's front lawn.

In an instant, the outline of its body disappears into thousands of plates of grass. With a passing thought, you wonder where it's heading. Then, movement a little further up the road catches your attention. It's one of your neighbors taking his dog for an evening walk. He waves to you from the opposite curb and you return the gesture with a smile. The dog is fluffy and golden and wags its tail as it trots beside him. A ginger cat pokes his head through the curtains of a window in the house across the street. You can see the tip of its tail, flicking back and forth as it watches the dog walk past. It doesn't notice you though, perhaps you're too far away to be of interest. Once the dog and its owner have moved further down the street, the cat begins washing its

front paw. You leave it to its nightly routine and continue up the road.