Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Where My Heart Lies (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. You arrived by boat. A long blue and white boat full of day-trippers and island hoppers. Locals have been shopping. Their canvas bags bulging with silver-plated sandals that creak with their newness. You close your eyes and feel the gentle breeze in your hair and the sun on your forehead. You've set sail from the larger island of Rhodes.

Starting point is 00:01:18 It falls into the distance as you move over the water. It's craggy harbour and the famous acropolis becoming sweet memories. The island of Rhodes has dry hills and cool coasts, historic streets that noble knights once walked. In the summer a large population of tiger moths flutter about, decorating trees and bushes with vibrant oranges and yellows. You cross the deep ocean water, blue and green lifting with the surf, seabirds swooping and gliding on thermals. The boat docks on the small Greek island of Simea. The island hills rise and fall, creating a silhouette in the evening sky.

Starting point is 00:02:20 Pretty houses and yellow, pink and white line the shore. Quaint fishing boats bob up and down in the harbor, resting happily upon the teal blue water. The first thing you see is a man selling sponges by the dock. His face is weather-worn baked by the sun, but his smile shows you he'd have it no other way. He's selling natural sponge from the waters that surround the island. He sells a loafer to rub and aching back, large round sponges to wash the body, and smaller sponges that fit in the palm of your hand to clean your face. You hold the small sponge in the cup of your hand, and you pass the man unfamiliar coins that feel cool in your palm.

Starting point is 00:03:28 When he takes them from you his eyes shine and the warmth from his touch makes you smile. You turn back to the ocean and notice the boat is leaving the dock. Its propeller churning the calm water, leaving a white seafroth in its wake. There are large rocks to your right, great slabs of bait stone that hang over the sea. A couple of your fellow passengers are taking off their shorts and their loose beach dresses. They dive from the cliffs into the cold blue water. You watch for a moment as their bodies swoop forward, meeting the water as embraces them and the sea sends a spray of cool droplets into the air. Their heads appear with smiles as wide as the sky.

Starting point is 00:04:40 It is like a ritual. Something they have done many times before. It's the perfect way to cool off after the hot journey across to the island. The water shines on their skin and drips from their hair. They duck their heads under the blue again and you imagine what it feels like to be engulfed by the coolness of the sea. The couple swim slowly back to the shore and grapple with the rocks as they haul themselves up and out of the water.

Starting point is 00:05:25 They stand there for a few seconds and the water drips from their bodies and onto the hot earth beneath their feet. They may shake a little, like a dog emerged from a river, but the heat from the sun is drying them and warming them, the sea becoming a salty memory on their skin. You can smell the aroma of tomato and fresh fish being cooked on open stoves and barbecues. The pepper from the grill lifts in the air as the heat from the hot calls crackles and fizz. That sweet scent of grilled sea bass and rock salt float into the air. The dock leads you into the quiet and still streets.

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Where My Heart Lies (Premium)

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