Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Tabitha’s Frosty Day

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Starting point is 00:02:43 a while, you might remember a Halloween story about a black cat named Tabitha. In that tale, we were introduced to Tabitha's friendly neighbourhood as she explored it under the cover of darkness on October 31st. While her journey was underway, she happened upon a mysterious ginger cat, who then vanished into the night. This evening will meet up with Tabitha again, but in an entirely different season. It will be a chance to cozy up under the blankets, while our dignified cat friend patrols her house and yard on the morning after an icy winter storm. There will be lots of late winter atmosphere, some pancake breakfast antics, and even another sighting of the elusive ginger cat. As before, this tale about Tabitha will be narrated by

Starting point is 00:03:55 Heather and was written by Alicia Stefan. So settle yourself into comfort. Do anything you need to get things just right. Plumping your pillow, adjusting your position, perhaps even stretching out your whole body, like a relaxed cat lying in a warm spot, enjoying a doze in the sun, if you notice that your mind is a little busy with thoughts, concerns, reminders and the like. Just reassure yourself that none of it needs to be addressed at this time. You can only do so much before you need a chance to recharge, so give yourself permission to rest. Both in body and mind, invite those thoughts and feelings to rest with you. Some of them will return tomorrow when you wake up. Others may just fizzle away, because they're not all that

Starting point is 00:05:34 important after all. In fact, we tend to over-emphasize the importance of a lot of our thoughts or concerns when we're lying in bed at night. Perhaps it's the fact that other daily distractions and tasks are no longer present, so it's all we've really got to focus on. But that's why we're here to give you a gentle, calming story to follow along with. So again, reassure yourself that all of that stuff can wait and invite your entire being to relax, settle and rest. Let's enjoy a couple of deep breaths together to slow things down even more. Draw the air in steadily through your nose. Hold for a moment, then enjoy a long exhale.

Starting point is 00:07:03 Again, breathing in gently. holding at the top and slowly releasing it back out. Perfect. Now you are more settled and ready to rest. It's time to join Tabitha for another dreamy tale. This is where our story begins. At time of year when the light came just a little earlier in the morning, It's the change, and she didn't question it.

Starting point is 00:08:19 Just as the day and the night cycled through their ever-shifting rhythms, the seasons did as well, so gradual as to be almost unnoticeable for a human. But as a cat, Tabitha was aware of everything that went on around her. The subtle lengthening of the day was such. something she'd experienced many times before. The early light didn't bring warmth, though. Not at first.

Starting point is 00:09:01 It struggled through the windows in the morning, gently announcing itself. I am here, it would say quietly, but you'll hardly notice me. As the weeks went on, the light would be rosier and more forceful, a wave of optimism and the promise of new beginnings, it would take charge. Spring would arrive.

Starting point is 00:09:35 This morning, however, was not rosy or forceful. As Tabitha watched out the window, the sky transitioned from inky black to purple to gray. It had been a tempestuous night. Tabitha had snuggled down into her soft cat bed, while precipitation had pelted the windows of the old house. As the humans had slumbered upstairs, oblivious to the wild weather, the colder season had reaffirmed its hold on the world outside.

Starting point is 00:10:22 It is still my time, winter had insisted. I will have my final hurrah. mislifted, for that was really the best way to describe the late winter morning. Tabitha's sleek black form rested comfortably on the back of... It was the time of the early morning, when she always built a sense of anticipation. The house was still completely silent. And she was the sole family member who was alert. shepherding in the day.

Starting point is 00:11:13 She alone would watch the darkness turn to light. It was a very important job after all. And somebody had to do it, as the outlines of the trees and houses and cars appeared outside the window. Tabitha saw that the world had been transformed overnight. When darkness had fallen yesterday, the street had worn the tired trappings of a long winter. Piles of dingy snow had lingered around driveways and mailboxes. Sand and gravel had coated the curbs all along the street outside.

Starting point is 00:12:06 The trees had stretched their black limbs toward the skies, long devoid of their beautiful. beautiful fall foliage, and not yet showing any signs of spring, but the storm had brought a magical change. First, it had deposited a very thin layer of white snow over every dark and drab color in the neighborhood, and just as the soft dusting of sugar had been complete, It had been followed by eye pelting and raining and clattering. She'd heard in the darkness had been water falling and freezing. And now, atop that pristine white snow, there was a slick coating of what looked like glass,

Starting point is 00:13:16 the pavement shone in the streetlights. But most beautiful of all, The branches of every old tree were now covered in sparkling ice and long dripping icicles. Even for Tabitha, who had seen just about every kind of season, this view was something to take note of. As she stared out the window, she knew immediately that this would not be an ordinary day. That feeling was confirmed as soon as she heard

Starting point is 00:14:06 the alarm clock sound in the bedroom upstairs. Usually there would be a lag of a few moments and then the shower would start running. Eventually the humans would come downstairs dressed in their daytime clothes

Starting point is 00:14:26 and start making breakfast in the kitchen. That was almost always the way of things. This morning, however, nobody turned on the water. Instead, the man came downstairs in his bathroom and stood staring out the window, craning his neck from side to side.

Starting point is 00:14:54 Then he pulled out his electronic device and poked at it, shaking his head. He called quietly upstairs to the woman, who followed in her pajamas. She too stared out the window, and they exchanged words in loud whispers. Then they both went back upstairs with the man typing on his device as he walked.

Starting point is 00:15:29 She could hear them clunking around their bedroom after that. Presumably, they were getting dressed. But while that was going on, more interesting activities began outside. The neighborhood was springing to life, and nothing was proceeding as expected. Normally, neighbors would come out of their houses and get in their cars to drive away.

Starting point is 00:16:06 Some of them would walk their dogs. Then, children would pour out of the front doors, after which they would walk or ride bikes or even be fetched by yellow school buses. This morning it was as if the usual flow of life was all gummed up. The man across the street opened his door. He was wearing boots and carrying a snow shovel. He walked buried gingerly down the front steps,

Starting point is 00:16:45 holding on to the railing with one hand, and he began trying to push the snow and ice off the steps behind him. It was a messy business. The shovel wasn't working very well. At one point, he got frustrated and let out a squawk as he slipped and fell on his backside in the hedgerow, looking around himself, to see if anyone had been watching.

Starting point is 00:17:21 He stood up again, dusting the snow off his wet behind. Then the woman next door carefully exited her large Victorian house. She had her poodle with her on its leash. In typical fashion, the excitable poodle was extremely nervous to be outside in this new icy terrain. It sat at the front steps, reluctant to go any further, as the woman coaxed it gently forward. Then at first opportunity, it dragged her back into the porch. She let the dog back inside, but not before turning around and calling out to the neighbor

Starting point is 00:18:16 who was trying to shovel his walk across the street. They waved at each other and gesticulated wildly, clearly agitated by the situation. Then the poodle lady went back inside the house. Tabitha's observations of the neighbors were interrupted by the man returning from the upstairs, dressed differently than usual. He opened the front closet and rummaged around, pulling out, cumbersome footwear and all kinds of wrappings. Then, putting on a ridiculous-looking hat,

Starting point is 00:19:01 he disappeared into the kitchen and opened the door to the backyard. A gust of frigid air puffed into the lower level of the house and lingered. Tabitha sniffed delicately with her little black nose. It had a fresh, damp scent of. to it. Cold and water, she thought. Hopping gracefully down off the couch, Tabitha stalked into the kitchen on velvet paws to investigate further. Lo and behold, in his haste, the man had left that back door ajar, and this meant she could access the cat portal in the storm door, sensing that her window of opportunity was brief. Tabitha trotted to the opening and pushed your way through,

Starting point is 00:20:07 like water slipping through a sieve. Oh, it was a wondrous and alien world outside. Winter was generally an indoor season for Tabitha. There was a time when the humans simply closed all the doors and she stayed inside by the fire or nestled into a pile of, of blankets on the couch. It had been many months since she'd been outdoors, in fact. And the last time, whenever it was, the backyard had been completely different. The ground had still been littered with piles of earthy-smelling leaves.

Starting point is 00:21:03 The smell of wood smoke had lingered in the air. The ground had been hard, and the grass visible but yellow. Now there was no grass anywhere, and the ground was a barely tolerable temperature beneath her feet. It crunched lightly under her paws, but not very much, for she was not a large cat. In her surprise at the chill under her feet, she ran faster, trying to shorten the time that her paws were touching the ground. This did not really help matters. Tabitha scurried through a hole in the picket fence, emerging in the yard of the big house next door. Once there, she hopped up onto the neighbor's sprawling wooden front porch. There the planks were comparatively warm and dry,

Starting point is 00:22:15 being covered by a nice roof. This was far better, she thought. Then, a little wickedly, she strolled over to sit in front of the living room window and planted herself, staring inward. Sure enough, the yappy poodle sprang to the back of the couch inside and went absolutely mad. Tabitha blinked her luminous eyes lazily, sitting as still as a statue, except for the twitching. of the end of her tail. This drove the poodle to the edge of reason. It hopped down from the couch, barking more loudly than before,

Starting point is 00:23:13 determined to summon a human. Tabitha waited patiently. As she expected, the poodle was soon back at the window, continuing its protest. The only way the woman inside, was able to stop the barking, was to lower the shade between the dog and the glass. When she had done that, the silly poodle was satisfied,

Starting point is 00:23:47 believing that Tabitha was gone. Tabitha turned and strode back to the top step of the porch, facing the street and feeling as smug as could be. Dogs were such basic creatures, she thought to herself. Despite her victory over the poodle, she was starting to get cold. Looking around, she realized

Starting point is 00:24:20 she also felt very exposed. In other seasons, her dark color was a boon to her. It enabled her to slink, unseen through the shadows of hedges and tuck herself into corners without being noticed. But in this blindingly white, sparkling world,

Starting point is 00:24:49 her shiny black fur made her conspicuous. Further, there were hardly any leafy places to hide. Tabitha was a watcher, not a participant. She liked to be above and beyond the action. Sitting out there, plainest day on the neighbor's porch, did not suit her. bracing herself, she hopped down the front steps and made a bee line for the hole in the fence. As she slipped through, a freezing cold drop of water fell on her from a tree branch above.

Starting point is 00:25:34 This made her increase her speed and she quickly launched herself onto the back stoop of her own house. She arrived only to find that someone had closed the door, blocking her re-entry. Oh dear, she thought. The humans were unaware she was outside. At that moment, she heard the sound of metal clinking on the flagstones out front. Instinctively, she knew that she would have to find an alternate way inside. Making haste, she darted through the bushes on the side of the house and emerged at the front. Sure enough, the man had opened the door to the garage, and he was ineffectually hammering away at the frozen precipitation on the driveway.

Starting point is 00:26:40 He looked up in surprise as Tabitha's lithe black form flew past him at the top of the driveway, where she slipped inside the dry garage. The man uttered a sound of surprise and put a shovel down, clomping in to follow her. When he got there, he found her sitting on the steps to the interior door, switching her tail. He bent over and put his hands on his knees, cooing at her in the most irritating manner.

Starting point is 00:27:21 Exasperated, she resorted to her. a tiny meow, which she hoped would sound pathetic enough that he would simply let her in. Luckily, this worked. He turned the knob and pushed the door open, allowing Tabitha to re-enter the billowing warmth of the heated house. Goodness, what a relief, she thought. The door closed behind her, sealing off the outdoors. A wonderful smell of pancakes and sausage enveloped her. She sat on the edge of the kitchen to observe what was happening there. The woman put a glass of milk on the table and then called upstairs.

Starting point is 00:28:18 William, she said in a sing-song voice, I have pancakes ready. The response was a light thumping of feet on the ceiling. As a little person launched himself off his bed and came scurrying downstairs, dragging a teddy-looking blue blanket. His mother admonished him to leave Blanky away from the table, or it would get covered in syrup. William did this without arguing,

Starting point is 00:28:56 dropping the beloved item with a shockingly careless abandon in the doorway. He patted across the tide. floor with his footy pajamas, making a light slapping noise, and then got up into his chair to grab his fork. The woman cut his pancakes and doused them in syrup. She then placed a few pieces of sausage on his plate, leaving a serving plate with more of it in the middle of the table. When the woman walked away, Tabitha made her move. taking a slinky path around the legs of William's chair. She made sure the tip of her tail would be visible to the child.

Starting point is 00:29:52 As he chewed his pancakes, he peeked over the edge of his seat and giggled at Tabitha, who stayed just far enough away to make sure he couldn't get his sticky hands on her clean fur. Then as she hoped, his plump little hand reached down and left a half of a piece of sausage near the chair leg. Nonchalantly, she walked under the table and devoured it. Then before his mother could notice, she scooted back into the living room, licking her chops with satisfaction. Returning to the back of the couch, she quickly bathed her paws, wiping them over her face. She did this with precise movement honed by years of practice. Keeping herself immaculate was non-negotiable.

Starting point is 00:31:07 Tabitha took great pride in her appearance, as any cat should. Once she felt like her fur was back in order, she turned and squinted into the morning light. The gloom of the early morning had given way to brilliant sunshine, and she could sense that the temperature was rising as well. The street was quiet. Nobody was driving.

Starting point is 00:31:42 The real show was the ice, with the morning brightening up, every branch, every railing, and every icicle-lined rooftop was madly sparkling. That ice which had seemed dark and hard an hour ago now took on a luscious beauty. Entire landscape of the street seemed fleetingly transparent. It was cold, yes, but breathtakingly lovely.

Starting point is 00:32:24 Tabitha watched, as the man chipped half-heartedly, away at the slippery chunks under his feet. A neighbor with a dog stopped at the end of the driveway and seemed to have some opinions about his ice removal methods. Tabitha heard the muffled sounds of their conversation through the window and watched as the dog tugged at his leash, investigating the ice piles with excitement. The two men made some broad gestures.

Starting point is 00:33:01 and waved to each other, and the neighbor walked on. The man returned to the garage and came out with a bag and started scattering sand all over the place with a little scoop. Then he chucked the shovel into the yard and stalked back into the house. People were so inscrutable at times, Tabitha thought. At that moment, William came bopping into the living room, grabbing his blankie on the way. He plopped himself down on the floor as his mother ignited the entertainment box,

Starting point is 00:33:49 clicking through the channels until William cheered with approval. Then she murmured something to him, placed the remote control on the table, and left him to his program. Tabitha preferred having the living room to herself. This would not do. She politely strode to the end of the couch and hopped down onto the floor. She knew the upstairs of the house would now be the most peaceful place. With a graceful, loping gate, she made her way to the top and entered one of the bedrooms.

Starting point is 00:34:39 The back of the house was cool and shady as it faced west. Later, there'd be a beautiful sunset to watch from there. At the moment, the view from that bedroom window was actually a relief from the brilliant reflections in the front. Tabitha sat on a wooden chest under the window and peered outside. White red cardinal was sitting in a nearby tree. Its startling plumage, a stark contrast through the ice and snow-covered branches.

Starting point is 00:35:29 She was distracted by the rudely loud chattering of a squirrel nearby. It was making a ruckus, clearly agitated about something on the ground. Following its gaze, she saw something very surprising far below. It was an enormous ginger cat. She knew this cat immediately. It didn't appear often, but she had last seen him on Halloween as she had made her rounds of the neighborhood.

Starting point is 00:36:14 Like a ghost, he had flitted from house to house, with Tabitha always in careful pursuit. In the end, and he had been bold enough to face her in her own backyard. But instead of emanating hostility, he had seemed calm and aloof. Then he had vanished almost as quickly as he appeared, leaving her oddly discombobulated.

Starting point is 00:36:50 And being discombobulated was not a normal feeling for Tabitha. Now on this most unlikely, of days, there he was. Out in her front yard like he owned the place, and in this weather, it was inconceivable, she marveled. Tabitha froze her entire body on alert, only her tail twitched with vigilant energy. She sat like that for several minutes, and during that time, the ginger cat stayed planted in the yard, motionless. It was as if the two cats were connected by a mental thread, even though the ginger cat couldn't possibly have seen Tabitha,

Starting point is 00:37:50 sitting far above him inside the house. Then very suddenly, a cold gust of wind rattled the icy branches outside. A cloud of snow gusted across the ground, forming a little whirlwind around the ginger cat. He raised his nose high into the air, sniffing delicately, as if he sensed something invisible on the breeze. As if he was determining what was a foot all around him. When the gust subsided, he was still sitting there,

Starting point is 00:38:35 but his orange fur was tipped with snow. he looked like a creature of the frost. Then casually he stood up and began to walk across Tabith's backyard, striding confidently for the other side of the house. All at once, Tabitha was leaping to the ground. She ran into the hallway and entered the bedroom on the other back end of the house, stepping around items on the dresser and sticking her head between the sheer curtains. She was just in time to see the ginger cat round the corner and head toward the front.

Starting point is 00:39:31 Wasting not a moment, Tabitha jumped back onto the carpet and ran across the hall into Williams' room. This was the sunny side of the house. His twin bed lay in a wide sunbeam, his teddy's spilling onto the floor, and his pillow smushed in the corner. She leaped up onto his toy box and stood on her hind legs, examining the place outside

Starting point is 00:40:07 where the other cat was likely to emerge. Sure enough, he came strolling along without a care in the world. Meanwhile, the man was no longer in the driveway. The warmth of the sun had melted the ice in many places, creating a pockmarked landscape with little pools of water. The ginger cat wove his way expertly around those small obstacles, as sure afoot as he was confident in his right to walk through Tabitha's yard.

Starting point is 00:40:51 She found him quite annoying. Then, as a final affront, the ginger cat strode right across the melting snow in the front yard, as he did another gust of wind blew, and wet snow and water showered down, hailing all around him. Unbothered, he continued on his way. Then, just as he reached,

Starting point is 00:41:27 the little hole Tabitha used in the picket fence, he stopped, turned, and appeared to stare straight at. Tabitha didn't move a muscle. For what felt like an interminable time, the two cats seemed to lock eyes, each waiting for the other to make a move. Then as if late for a date, the ginger cat turned and slipped away through the fence. Slowly, Tabitha relaxed and sat down on the toy box. She stayed that way in the sunbeam, pondering this ginger cat who had reappeared in her life. Once again, so comfortable in her yard, he was truly an enigma.

Starting point is 00:42:30 But perhaps she wouldn't mind so very much if he came back again, she thought. It did make the day in terms. At that moment, William came tumbling into his room. His television show was over. Tabitha laid herself down in the sun and watched him tentatively as he dumped his building blocks out of a basket. And began stacking them, driving his toy cars around the structures he had created. William made motor noises.

Starting point is 00:43:13 He growled and roamed and puttered. He lay down on his side and eyed the cars from the level of the floor, expending just a little less energy on his play with each passing moment. Then he abandoned the cars and started rolling back and forth, wrapping himself up in his blanket and then unwinding. His blonde hair took on static and stood off his head in a comical manner. Then his eyelids drooped, and he felt quiet, running his hands over the warm carpet. In moments he was asleep.

Starting point is 00:44:14 Tabitha was feeling a bit tired herself. She stood and stretched and then hopped into the floor, walking over to where William lay curled into a sea shape on the carpet in the sun. Turning around, she plopped herself into the curb of his body,

Starting point is 00:44:41 resting her chin on her paws and then covering her nose with her tail. She melted into his little boy breaths as his body rose and fell behind her. The warmth was irresistible. and her eyes slowly closed.

Starting point is 00:45:07 She felt the light outside her eyelids and pictured the droplets and the ice raining down from the branches outside. Winter's last gasp was not an enduring one. The days would still get lighter and lighter, and the sun would quickly melt even the best efforts of the waning. season. Downstairs a kettle sang its cheery song. The door opened and closed. Someone changed the TV

Starting point is 00:45:49 channels. And outside, the breeze continued to rattle the panes of the window. Tabitha thought vaguely of the ginger cat, making his way across the frosty ground. She wondered if she would see him again. She thought perhaps she might, when the daffodils finally peaked through the soil, and spring had arrived once again. She was asleep.

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Tabitha’s Frosty Day

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