Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Painting Rainbows (Premium)

Episode Date: August 10, 2020

This is a preview episode. Get the full episode, and many more, ad free, on our supporter's feed: https://getsleepy.com/support. Painting Rainbows Tom tells the story of a girl, whose love for painting leads her to a wonderful life. 😴  Sound design: field ambiance, bugs, distant birds.    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. Claudia sits at her easel looking out over the broad stretches of countryside to the rear of her home. Dainty birds tweet and chirp in the trees and bushes outside. She recognizes some of the songs and can match them to their species without a moment's thought. and can match them to their species without a moment's thought. Way out in the distance, a combine harvester is plowing the years crops.

A gentle breeze carries the slightest momma of its engine and mechanisms, all the way to Claudia's ears. She smiles. She must have sat in this very spot on thousands of occasions in her life. Still, every time she gazes through the tall arched window pain. It reminds her just how blessed she is. This home has belonged to her family for multiple generations. It's modest in size, craggy in its appearance. The floorboards creak and the carpets are worn by time. Yet the memories that it holds are priceless and the familiarity keeps Claudia grounded. She takes a deep breath in sensing the cool, fresh air, drifting in from outside. It's time, once again, to create a new masterpiece. She mixes together several different shades of paints, lightly dabbing her brush in two or three pans to achieve the right tones. As the colours dilute and combine, Claudia's mind courses back through her youth. There is one particular occasion that always comes

to the forefront, especially when she's in this spot. It was a hot, humid day toward the end of summer. Claudia, no more than six or seven years old at the time, was transfixed to her coloring book. She laid on her bedroom floor with a pack of colored crayons, filling in pictures of wildlife and mystical creatures. Meanwhile, her parents went about their usual house drawers, whistling light-hearted melodies to keep them entertained. The family dog was staying busy, wandering around in the garden and searching for new smells. Every window and door of the home was wide open, encouraging air to flow around and to keep the house as cool as possible in the humidity. Suddenly, without warning, the light from the sun disappeared and was replaced by a deep grey blanket of shade. Claudia's bedroom became so dark that she struggled to see what she was drawing.

As she wandered downstairs to find her parents, the grey clouds erupted with a furious downpour of rain. Visibly panicked, her mum and dad raced around, shutting the doors and windows and desperately gathering up the dry washing from the clothesline outside. A booming clap of thunder resonated from above. Its deep vibrations shook the walls of the entire house, prompting the dog to bolt inside and straight up stairs. Claudia followed as they both rushed to hide under her bed. As the storm hovered above, Claudia coward beneath her bed. She pressed her palms over her ears and cuddled up to her dog for comfort. But the downpour moved on almost as quickly as it arrived. The muffled sounds of thunder gradually faded as the storm passed. A minute or two later, her mum and dad peaked in through the bedroom door.

Claudius slid out from her hiding place just enough so that they knew she was there. just enough so that they knew she was there. They came and knelt beside her, checking that she was okay. Meanwhile, the thick clouds began to break and sunlight re-emerged. The heavy rain eased off to a mere drizzle. Claudia's father merged her to come out from under the bed and join them in the study. He said that something magical was happening outside. With cautious intrigue, Claudia followed her parents. She made her way towards the tall window. The sight that met her eyes was extraordinary. The sky, which was covered in deep, dark graze just minutes before, had transformed into a spectacle of colour.

Rays of sunlight pierced through gaps in the softer clouds and patches of blue revealed themselves once more. But something unusual stood out against the rest. A peculiar, yet glorious, multi-coloured arc stretching over the entire land.