Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep - Afternoon Nap

Episode Date: June 9, 2018

Our story tonight is called “Afternoon Nap” and it’s a story about the best kind of nap, the one you didn’t think you had time for. It’s also about enjoying small luxuries and the serendipity of unexpected free time. So get cozy and ready to sleep. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Purchase Our Book: https://bit.ly/Nothing-Much-HappensSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Bedtime Stories for Grownups, in which nothing much happens. You feel good, and then you fall asleep. All stories are written and read by me, Katherine Nicolai, with audio engineering by Bob Wittersheim. Let me tell you a little about how to use this podcast. I'm about to tell you a bedtime story, to help you relax and drift off to sleep. The story is simple, and not much happens in it. And that's kind of the idea. It's just a cozy

place to rest your mind. I'll read the story twice, and I'll go a little bit slower the second time through. If you find yourself still awake at the end of the second telling, don't worry. That's sometimes how it goes. Relax. Walk yourself back through whatever bits of the story you can remember. Lean into them. And before you know it, you'll be waking up tomorrow, feeling refreshed and calm. This is a kind of brain training. We're training your brain to follow along with the shape of the story, like an upturned leaf floats along on the surface of a river. Each time you use a story to settle your mind, it will happen more quickly and with more ease.

So have some patience if you're new to this. Now it's time to settle in. Switch off your light. Put down all of your devices. You've looked at a screen for the last time today. Stretch deep into your sheets and settle yourself into your favorite sleeping position. Send a signal to your mind and body that it's time to turn everything off. Take a slow breath in through your nose and sigh it out of your mouth. Nice. Let's do that again.

Breathe in and out. Our story tonight is called Afternoon Nap. And it's a story about the best kind of nap. The one you didn't think you had time for. It's also about enjoying small luxuries and the serendipity of unexpected free time. Afternoon nap. I'd rushed home from work and figured that if I could be really quick, I could feed the dog and get back on the road and just make it to my appointment.

My dog was glad to see me. She always is. Dogs are really too good for humans. We don't deserve them. She jumped around me as I hustled her outside. Then back in and we went straight to the kitchen to fill her bowl. I was pouring out kibble and looking at my watch, wondering if I had enough time to change my clothes before I had to get back in my car, when I heard my phone buzz in my pocket.

Sorry for the inconvenience, but can we reschedule you for another day? A wide smile spread across my face. My afternoon had just opened up, and I felt like a kid finding out about a snow day. Yes, no problem, I texted back. I giggled to myself and squatted down to scratch my dog's ears. What should we do, darling? I asked as she flipped over to let me rub her belly. Well, you finish your snack first. Then let's go outside. I poured myself a big glass of fizzy water with a lime squeezed in, picked up a stack of magazines that had been sitting for a while as I hadn't had the time to look through them, and when the crunching stopped, we walked out onto our sunny front porch. Our house was an old farmhouse, but long ago the farm had become a neighborhood, so we

looked out at streets of other homes, cozily set into gardens. It was our favorite time of day to be on the porch as kids were walking home from school and sometimes being met by moms and dads walking more dogs. We had an old porch swing that caught the afternoon sun, and I helped my poochie up and sat down next to her. I pulled my feet up under me, set my water and magazines down on a side table, and we watched the kids and families go by. I pulled my feet up under me, set my water and magazines down on a side table,

and we watched the kids and families go by. I didn't have a thing to do. I mean, there's always work to do. If I went looking for it, I could find something, but... Right now there was no deadline or urgent task nagging at me. So we just sat. I turned the pages of a magazine. I scratched my dog's head. Every now and then she'd jump down to bark at another dog, and I'd help her back up. The street traffic was dying down, and my eyelids were suddenly getting very heavy. I considered my options. I could nap here. The sun certainly felt lovely, but the swing was a bit cramped to stretch out on. Or I could go for what we in our household called the full Churchill.

Winston Churchill had been a master of napping and took one nearly every day. And he didn't just curl up on the sofa for twenty minutes. He took his naps seriously. So when you nap like Winston, it means under the covers, lights out, and no pants. I remembered that I had put fresh sheets on the bed the day before,

sheets that had dried out on the line and smelled like fresh air. And that sealed the deal. We headed inside and up the stairs to the bedroom. I lowered the blinds but cracked the windows a bit so I could hear the sounds of the neighborhood. Kids playing. a lawnmower way off in the distance, a slow car passing by. I slid out of my work clothes and slipped into bed. Hmm.

To have the whole bed to yourself on a sunny afternoon? It felt indulgent, and I let myself enjoy it. I slid my legs around under the sheets, plumped up my pillows, and pulled a book from my bedside table. In her dog bed beside me, I watched my little girl turn around a few times and plop down with a dog sigh. I opened my book and started to read. I knew I would only make it through a page or two, and that was fine. I smelled the fresh air coming in from the window and heard my neighbors chatting as they walked under it.

A dog barked in the distance. I watched the leaves shifting in the breeze. I was so relaxed. My body was so comfortable. There was nothing to do but drift away. Afternoon nap. I'd rushed home from work and figured that if I could be really quick,

I could feed the dog and get back on the road and just make it to my appointment. My dog was glad to see me. She always is. Dogs are really too good for humans. We don't deserve them. She jumped around me as I hustled her outside, then back in and we went straight to the kitchen kitchen to fill her bowl. I was pouring out kibble and looking at my watch, wondering if I had time to change my clothes, before I had to get back in my car when I heard my phone buzz in my pocket. Sorry for the inconvenience, but can we reschedule you for another day? A wide smile spread across my face. My afternoon had just opened up, And I felt like a kid,

finding out about a snow day. Yes, no problem, I texted back. I giggled to myself and squatted down to scratch my dog's ears. What should we do, darling? I asked as she flipped over to let me rub her belly. Well, you finish your snack first. Then let's go outside.

I poured myself a big glass of fizzy water with the lime squeezed in. Picked up a stack of magazines that had been sitting for a while as I hadn't had the time to look through them. And when the crunching stopped, we walked out onto our sunny front porch. Our house was an old farmhouse, but long ago the farm had become a neighborhood. So we looked out at streets of other homes, cozily set into gardens. It was our favorite time of day to be on the

porch, as kids were walking home from school, and sometimes being met by moms and dads walking more dogs. We had an old porch swing that caught the afternoon sun, and I helped my poochie up and sat down next to her. I pulled my feet up under me, set my water and magazines down on the side table, and we watched the kids and families go by. I didn't have a thing to do. I mean, there's always work to do.

If I went looking for it, I could find something. But right now there was no deadline or urgent task nagging at me. So we just sat. I turned the pages of a magazine. I scratched my dog's head. Every now and then she'd jump down to bark at another dog and I'd help her back up. The street traffic was dying down and my eyelids were suddenly getting very heavy. I considered my options.

I could nap here. The sun certainly felt lovely, but the swing was a bit cramped to stretch out on. Or I could go for what we in our household called the full Churchill. Winston Churchill had been a master of napping and took one nearly every day. And he didn't just curl up on the sofa for 20 minutes. He took his naps seriously.

So when you nap like Winston, it means under the covers, lights out, and no pants. I remembered that I'd put fresh sheets on the bed the day before, sheets that had dried out on the line and smelled like fresh air, and that sealed the deal. We headed inside, and up the stairs to the bedroom. I lowered the blinds,

but cracked the windows a bit so I could hear the sounds of the neighborhood. Kids playing. A lawnmower off in the distance. A slow car passing by. I slid out of my work clothes and slipped into bed. Hmm.

To have the whole bed to yourself on a sunny afternoon? It felt indulgent, and I let myself enjoy it. I slid my legs around under the sheets, plumped up the pillows, and pulled a book from my bedside table. In her dog bed beside me, I watched my little girl turn around a few times and plop down with a dog sigh. I opened my book and started to read. I knew I would only make it through a page or two, and that was fine. I smelled the fresh air coming in from the window

and heard my neighbors chatting as they walked under it a dog barked in the distance I watched the leaves shifting in the breeze I was so relaxed my body was so comfortable and there was nothing to do but drift away I was so relaxed. My body was so comfortable. And there was nothing to do but drift away. Sweet dreams.