Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Autumn in London (Premium)

Starting point is 00:00:00 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. Imagine yourself sitting on a bus in London on a damp autumn afternoon. You've found a seat on the top deck at the front, so you're surrounded by windows. It feels a little like flying, slowly gliding through the streets of the city, past distinguished white buildings, and the sensationally red leaves of the plain trees.

Starting point is 00:01:17 It's cool outside and raining lightly on and off. The typical drizzle of an English autumn. But the bus is warm and cozy with all the heat is on. This difference in temperature makes the glass steam up. Every now and then you brush your hand against the window next to you, clearing the moisture, so you have a better view. You're in a relaxed, dreamy mood. All you want to do is watch the world go by, enjoying every detail from the street signs to the pigeons

Starting point is 00:02:08 perched along the window ledges. Your gaze drifts down to the people walking in the street below, covered up with coats and umbrellas. And then you look up again to the scenery right beside you. Because you're on the upper deck of the bus, you're at the same level as the second floor windows of the buildings on the street. When the bus is moving slowly or stopped at a traffic light, you can see inside offices, hotel rooms and even people's living rooms. You clear the condensation from the glass with your fingers, creating a clear circle in the window and peer through. You now have the perfect view into the window of a cozy flat where you can see a study lined with bookshelves. A tall standing lamp is switched on as well as a couple of smaller table lamps which shine

Starting point is 00:03:40 with a warm yellow light. You can see an elderly man sitting at a desk, deeply absorbed in his work, with a mug of tea or coffee next to him. He's leaning over the pages of a large book, his index finger, following the lines of text as he reads. There are some pictures on the wall behind him, a portrait of a woman, and what looks like a print of an old map. But then you feel the engine of the bus rumble into action as the light turns green. You're off again, leaving the man and his study behind. You love getting these little glimpses into people's lives. life. They're like portals into other worlds, revealed for just a few fleeting seconds.

Starting point is 00:04:52 Late afternoon is the perfect time to gaze through windows. It's too early for people to close their curtains, but the fading daylight means that all the lights are switched on, so the rooms are illuminated. The bus soon halts again. It's stuck in a bit of traffic, and you gaze through another window to find a young woman playing the harp. She's perfectly framed in the glass, and the searing lamp above her shines down like a spot-might on a stage. It seems almost intentional, a silent performance for anyone passing by on the bus.

Starting point is 00:05:49 You watch her fingers glide across the strings in quick, flurring movements and try to imagine the sound of the music. For a moment, the noises of the bus disappear, replaced by the beautiful, soaring melody of the harp. Then, the bus moves on, slowly and purposefully, making its way through the city streets. But these moments of peace stay with you. You feel comfortably cocooned in the warmth of the bus. Happy to let the world pass by outside. Black scenes from a slow, relaxing film without a plot.

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Autumn in London (Premium)

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