Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - The Garden at the Mountain Cabin

Starting point is 00:00:00 Tonight's episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. We all carry around different stresses, both big and small, but sometimes we really need to release them to get our thoughts, worries and troubles off our chests, because keeping those things bottled up can really affect us negatively in the long run. Therapy is the ideal safe space to figure out and let go of what's weighing you down. I've always tried to be emotionally open with friends and family as much as I can, but there are bound to be things you'd rather share in confidence with a neutral person who isn't part of your day to day life. And that's exactly what therapy with BetterHelp allows you to do. All you need to do to get started is fill out a brief questionnaire and BetterHelp will

Starting point is 00:00:53 match you with a licensed therapist and you can switch therapists anytime for no additional charge. So get it off your chest with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com slash get sleepy to get 10% off your first month. That, we relax, and we get sleepy. My name's Thomas, and it's my pleasure to have your company. Thanks for being here. Tonight we return to one of our most beloved and popular series. Written by Krista, our visits to Sarah's mountain cabin have become an occasional staple of the Get Sleepy schedule and I'm so excited to transport you back

Starting point is 00:02:00 there again tonight. This time Sarah will be spending a warm and sunny day working in her garden, something I'm sure many of you have started to do yourselves in preparation for the bright summer months. If you haven't heard any of the other stories set at the mountain cabin, that's perfectly fine. You can always enjoy tonight's tale and then go back and listen to them another time. I'll put the release dates for the other episodes in the show notes. So my friends, before we join Sarah in her sun-filled garden, let's plant the seeds for a good night's sleep. Make sure you're nice and comfortable in bed or wherever you're lying at this time. And when you're ready, close your eyes and take a deep breath in.

Starting point is 00:03:23 Hold at the top and release it back out. As you continue to breathe at a soothing, relaxed pace, imagine yourself in your very own garden. If you're like me and you don't currently have a garden to call your own, then just picture yourself in a garden you remember from the past, or just one created by the wonder of your imagination. In this garden, it is sunny and warm, and there is a bed of fresh soil prepared and waiting to bring life to something new.

Starting point is 00:04:28 And in the palm of your hand I want you to visualize several small seeds. These the seeds for a good night's sleep. When you're ready, you can crouch down and drop the seeds into the soil. Next to you, there is a small hand rake and a watering can. Take the hand rake and cover the seeds over with some of the soil, adding a healthy sprinkling of water over the top to help the seeds begin to grow. Here in your beautiful sunny garden you've started the process of your sleep. As you listen along to our story tonight, sense your body and mind moving deeper into rest. The seeds of sleep have been planted and you're ready to let them grow into a beautiful flower. When you wake up tomorrow morning, that flower will be full of life, energy and vibrancy life, energy, and vibrancy. And you can take that positive, sunny energy into your day. So now, it's time to turn our imaginations to Sarah's mountain cabin and her beautiful garden.

Starting point is 00:06:51 This is where our story begins. It's a warm, bright, sunny day and Sarah is tending to her garden at home. It's nestled on a cozy south-facing open patch of land just behind her cabin in the mountains. Unlike many gardens she has seen over the years, things aren't neatly planted in rows or trimmed down to a tame shape to adhere to neighborhood guidelines. Rather, her garden is like a small maze with lush foliage intertwining with stone pathways. There are carefree lavender bushes, mismatched terracotta pots, and sprawling flower beds overflowing with life. Sarah particularly loves her garden's centerpiece, a vine-covered lattice that creates an inviting backdrop for the lounge area. There, she has a pair of wooden chairs and a table with a white

Starting point is 00:08:50 sun umbrella. Luckily, Sarah has no neighborhood guidelines to follow out in the mountains. She is tucked away in her charming cabin, and her home can look as untamed and nature-filled as she pleases. During this time of year, Sarah spends countless hours out here. She tends to this garden oasis all by herself, and she is proud of her results over the seasons. This year, her garden is thriving. It seems to her that every year, the greenery has only looked better and better. It is true what they say, she thinks. Practice does make perfect. Or at least close enough to it, she adds.

Starting point is 00:10:12 Right now, Sarah is crouching down, tending to some of her perennial flowers that have been slowly coming out of hibernation over the past months. They are the fast-growing, herbaceous yellow archangel. This is one of her favorite flowers, blooming from late spring through to early summer. The plant, known for its lovely golden yellow blooms and heart-shaped leaves, is also a favorite of bees and butterflies who are attracted by its color but stay for its sweet nectar. but stay for its sweet nectar. As Sarah tends to the plants, she inspects their leaves, searching for any signs of damage or disease. Some have already bloomed, their subtle aroma floating around her, while others are still slowly working towards it. While she works, a friendly bumblebee buzzes nearby,

Starting point is 00:11:42 before dipping itself towards the center of a yellow archangel. Sarah smiles, delighted she can help the cabin, she had just one or two plants back here. She would never have called it her garden. It had a small deck with stairs that led down to the ground, where she had a tiny flower bed with lavender and mint. She still has the back deck, though now it is sprawling with ivy plants, handmade wooden furniture and bird feeders. Back then, the wooden deck was bare with just a couple of sun-aged green plastic chairs. The deck itself was also weathered. Over the first few months of living in her new home, she

Starting point is 00:13:11 spent numerous hours sanding down old wood, varnishing and upgrading various parts of the deck. While she didn't always know what she was doing when it came to restoring old decks and cabins, her countryside community was always there to lend a helping hand. The rest of her home she already really loved. She would never paint over those wooden walls or remove the stained glass on her front door. She had added a varnish to protect the wood and carefully cleans the glass to maintain its beauty, but the place has mostly stayed the same since she bought it. What has really transformed, however, is her garden. Those two plants, lavender and mint, turned into ten plants, which turned into twenty, and so on. That tiny flowerbed became nearly a dozen.

Starting point is 00:14:44 That tiny flowerbed became nearly a dozen. She still has lavender and mint, but with mint being such an invasive plant, it completely took over the flowerbed, forcing Sarah to move the lavender into a new space in her ever-growing garden. Now, her garden is home to flowers, herbs, a small selection of vegetables, potted plants, and a slow-growing Japanese maple tree. Sarah comes off her knees, brushes her garden gloves against her apron and stands up. She moves on from the yellow archangel to the remaining hyacinth leaves, a sign that these plants

Starting point is 00:16:10 are done for the season. A couple of months ago, when the hyacinths began to wilt, Sarah cut off the flowers at their bases but left the healthy green leaves. At that time, the plants still had a lot of work to do before going dormant. They were still photosynthesizing, turning sunlight into food and energy for the bulb. So she kept watering and caring for them until the foliage yellowed. And today, she is continuing where she left off. The perennial plants are ready for the next step of dormancy. As Sarah brings over a pair of shears, a trowel, and a large pot filled with soil, she looks at the plant.

Starting point is 00:17:31 The hyacinth leaves, once a vibrant green that stood strong around the flowers, have turned yellow and drooped down towards the base of the plant. These bulbs have been sitting in the flower bed since early October, having bloomed in March and April. Now, they are ready to enter their rest period and will be replanted once again in the coming autumn season. As she bends down, she adjusts her sun hat. Then, with gloved hands, she presses her fingers into the damp, dark brown soil. Hyacinths don't need to be planted too deeply, so she doesn't need her trowel to scoop up

Starting point is 00:18:41 the bulbs. The clumps of dirt come apart easily as she wiggles her fingers just a few inches into the flower bed. Gently, she scoops out one hyacinth. she scoops out one hyacinth. Sarah has a variety of these plants, purple, white, and pink to be exact. Last year, when she stored them for hibernation, she separated each color and planted them accordingly. This year, however, she is going to do things differently. Instead of dispersing the colors knowingly, she's going to replant them in a random order, though the bulbs do give some indication of what color they will bloom. So she just has one big flower pot to keep them all mixed up until next season. She takes her time uprooting each hyacinth and placing them in the grass next to her.

Starting point is 00:20:19 She also glances at the roots of each, ensuring they are healthy and have not been overwatered. Once she is finished, she has 16 hyacinth bulbs resting vertically in the grass next to her. The sun has shifted and it now rests behind a fluffy, white cloud. Sarah dusts off her gloves again, watching specks of soil fall to the ground, dotting the bright green grass. She takes a deep breath, welcoming in the aroma of dirt and nature, a cozy and familiar smell. Now she is ready to cut off the leaves. This part is easy. She takes her shears into her gloved hand and presses them into the yellowed leaves, cutting just above the bulb. Sarah is able to do this quickly. Her shears clip and snip away at the leaves and watching them fall to the ground.

Starting point is 00:22:09 Now, she pulls the large ceramic pot towards her and begins to make space for 16 hyacinths. One by one, Sarah places them into the pot, wiggling soil out of the bulbs uncovered, just as they were sitting in the flower bed. Once they're all inside the pot, Sarah can move them into a dark, cool place, where they'll remain unwatered until it's time to plant them once again. So she slips off her gloves and places them on a rock that borders the now empty bed. our empty bed. Sarah then stands up, bends her knees slightly, and lifts the pot of hyacinths. As it isn't too heavy, she is able to carry it across the garden and up the stairs of the deck. Her gardening shoes make a clunking sound as she steps up the wooden staircase. She left her back door open, allowing the fresh air to circulate through her cabin, so she easily makes her way inside her kitchen. Sarah blinks a few times to adjust her eyes to the indoor lighting.

Starting point is 00:24:34 lighting. Once she is comfortable, she walks through her kitchen and into the hallway. She looks down and admires how the vibrant stained glass door is beautifully reflecting onto the warm wooden floor. Then she turns and unlatches an old door that creaks on its hinges. From there, she pulls on a string to light her path down into the cozy basement. It's here that she keeps her extra gardening supplies, as well as spare furniture and boxes of knickknacks. knacks. She makes her way down the stairs and is greeted by the cool temperature. Down here, her hyacinth bulbs will be safe during their dormant period. The concrete floor is covered in intricate rugs that she bought during her travels in different countries. They add an extra cozy touch to this rarely used area of her cabin home. In the back corner, there is a wooden rack where she

Starting point is 00:26:11 keeps these types of plants. So, Sarah walks across the room, bends down and places the pot on the bottom shelf. She lets out a little sigh, feeling relief from setting down the heavy pot. Then, Sarah grabs a piece of labeling tape and something to write with from a nearby storage shelf. Several writing utensils sit in an old aluminum can. They clink and jangle against the container as she pulls out a blue ballpoint pen. She writes the name of the plant on the label and then pushes her nail into the top corner to lift the sticky part from the paper backing. Now she presses it onto the pot of hyacinth bulbs. She then replaces the pen and tape, and retracing her steps makes her way out of the basement.

Starting point is 00:27:51 She pulls on the string to turn off the light before closing the door behind her. Sarah heads into the kitchen next. She opens up her fridge and pulls out a glass jug of homemade lemonade that she prepared yesterday. After a few hours in the garden, a glass of cold lemonade sounds perfectly refreshing, she thinks. One of her neighbors also grows plants. They have anthuriums, banana trees, tomatoes, curiums, banana trees, tomatoes, and a whole collection of citrus plants. Sarah traded some of her herbal teas and a bunch of fresh basil for a basket full of lemons. That's the beauty of living in this sustainable little community, Sarah thinks. Everyone is always there to help out, to trade or share ideas.

Starting point is 00:29:23 If it wasn't for her neighbors, she probably wouldn't have such a thriving garden. After all, it was their guidance and their knowledge of the land that helped her seed. Now, she grabs a lemon-printed glass from her cabinet, perfect for today. Sarah places the cup on the wooden countertop, fills it with ice from the freezer, fills it with ice from the freezer and pours the fresh lemonade over the top. The ice crackles as the liquid flows over it. She sticks in a bamboo straw and takes a long, generous sip. The coldness of the beverage travels down into her stomach, refreshing her completely. She takes another sip of her lemonade before placing it back down on a cork coaster. Now that she feels a bit cooler and her thirst has been deliciously quenched, Sarah heads back out into the sunshine.

Starting point is 00:31:11 There is still work to do in the garden before the sun goes down. Yesterday, before she settled in to make fresh lemonade, Sarah traveled to a nearby town to visit her local farmer's market. There, she purchased a dozen poppies and another dozen marigolds. With their vibrant orange and red hues, she decided they would be a beautiful replacement for the hyacinths. They've been sitting in a wooden cart at the edge of the garden, waiting in the sun for Sarah to plant them. And now, it is time. Sarah pushes the cart over to the empty flower bed. She can already smell their fragrant aroma as she does this.

Starting point is 00:32:32 aroma as she does this. She slips on her garden gloves, bends down towards the flower bed, and begins to hand-till the soil with a small rake. The soil is in great shape, but she will need to make enough space to insert 24 flowers. Sarah grabs a wooden bucket and her trowel. She scoops the excess soil into the bucket. As she does this, an earthy smell fills the air. It reminds her of when she was a kid. She would go outside after school and play in the garden. When her mother got home from work, she would tell Sarah that she smelled like the beautiful earth. It didn't matter if she was playing in the mud or on the swings, the smell of soil and nature would be in her hair, her hands, and her toes. Once Sarah has formed enough dips in the soil, she begins choosing the flowers. She picks them at random, placing them one by one in the flower bed. She shakes any excess soil off their roots as she takes them out of their compostable containers. It's a meditative process. Pick, shake, plant. Pick,

Starting point is 00:34:50 At the bottom of the flower cart is a bag of fresh organic soil that she also purchased at the farmer's market. Once all the poppies and marigolds are in the soil, she tucks them in by filling in the gaps among them with fresh soil. This dark brown soil is full of nutrients to help the plants thrive this season. The rich dirt crumbles between her gloved fingers. She loves this feeling and the earthy smell that accompanies it. Soon, Sarah is finished. She stands up, brushes the excess dirt onto her apron, and looks back to admire her work. The randomized placement of the red and orange flowers looks stunning. Lush green plants are at either side,

Starting point is 00:36:08 and there's even a rose bush in sight, creating a very idyllic scene. She retraces her path to the back of the house and loosens the tap for the watering hose. The hose squeals as water begins to travel through it. She then fills a metal watering can and turns off the squeaky tap. Now, Sarah is almost finished in the garden for the day. She just needs to saturate the fresh soil with water. So, she walks back over to the poppies and marigolds and tips the spout of the watering can towards the soil. Water flows out, gently showering the dirt. The rich, dark brown soil hardly changes color with the water,

Starting point is 00:37:31 a sign of how nutrient-dense it all is. As she waters, Sarah's senses are delighted by the smell of wet ground. It's a musky scent she quite likes. It smells like rain and natural growing things. growing things. Soon enough, the watering can is empty and the bed is perfectly damp. Sarah feels a tinge of happiness and accomplishment after another successful day in the garden. While there is always work to do, or simply tasks to make the garden a little more special, Sarah can rest for now. She looks up at the sky. The sun has lowered, and the beginnings of a pastel-colored sunset form among long, thin clouds. Sarah returns to the back of her cabin, pushing the cart that she has now filled with the wooden bucket, gardening tools, flower containers, and her pair of gloves. She hangs up the trowel and hand rake, places the wooden bucket to

Starting point is 00:39:32 the side, lays her gloves on the tabletop, and leaves the cart underneath the deck. underneath the deck. Sarah can now retreat inside and enjoy a warm shower, removing any dirt from her long and joyous day working in the garden. Perhaps she will make pasta with basil and tomatoes and watch a movie before slipping into her soft linen bedsheets for a night of good sleep. Sarah always looks forward to sleep, but not just because it's essential and re-energizing, it's because she loves to dream. As she walks inside her lovely home, she's already beginning to wonder what pleasant dreams she will have tonight, in her cozy, mounting cabin. You You You You The You You You You You You You You You You Music You You You you you

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - The Garden at the Mountain Cabin

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