June 30, 2018 • 18 mins
Our story tonight is called "A Walk in the Woods" and it’s a story about getting far out into nature and trading in your usual cares for the sights and sounds of the countryside. It’s also about the pleasures of wandering, whirlybirds falling to the forest floor, and being alone.
So get cozy and ready to sleep.
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Bedtime Stories for grown ups, in which nothing
much happens, you feel good, and then you fall asleep.
All stories are written and read by me, Catherine Nikolay,
(00:21):
with audio engineering by Bob Wittersheim. We only have a
couple stories left in this our first season of nothing
much happens, so be sure to subscribe now so you
don't miss a single episode of our next season, which
will come out in the fall of this year. I
(00:44):
have so many stories to tell you about kicking through
fallen leaves and the feeling of cool autumn air on
your face. Stories about putting out pumpkins on front stoops
and baking pies on feeling the first snowflake of the
season land on your cheek. If you enjoy our stories,
(01:08):
please share them any way you can with any one
who likes relaxing and good sleep, and follow us on
Facebook and Instagram for some extra coziness. Now let me
say a little about how to use this podcast. I
(01:29):
am about to tell you a bedtime story to help
you relax and to ease your mind and to sleep.
The story is simple and not much happens in it,
and that is the idea. Just let your mind follow
along with the details of what you hear and the
(01:51):
sound of my voice. I'll tell the story twice, and
I'll go a little bit slower the second time through.
If you find that you are still awake at the
end of the second telling, not to worry. That's just fine.
You could listen again or just walk yourself back through
(02:14):
any of the details that you remember, and before you
know it, you'll be slinking down into a deep and
RESTful sleep. This is a kind of brain training, and
the more you do it, the more your sleep will improve.
So be patient if you are new to this. Now
(02:39):
it's time to switch off the light, set aside anything
you've been working on or playing with, and settle your
body into the most comfortable position that you can find.
Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose and
(03:02):
out through your mouth. Nice, do that one more time.
Breathe in and out. Good. Our story to night is
(03:22):
called a walk in the woods, and it's a story
about getting far out into nature and trading in your
usual cares for the sights and the sounds of the countryside.
It's also about the pleasures of wandering, worldly birds, falling
(03:42):
to the forest floor, and being alone. Sometimes nothing will do,
but getting yourself deep into the woods and walking, and
that was what to day was for. It was a
(04:04):
warm morning at the end of the summer, and I
was driving out to my favorite trail in a state
park near my home. I went two or three times
a week and walked for an hour at least, sometimes
having to force myself to turn around and head back
(04:26):
so I wouldn't be late to work or some appointment.
But to day I had no other plans and no
place to be, so I would wander and walk to
my heart's content. The park was quiet, and I rolled
(04:47):
the windows down as I drove slowly over the winding
road to the very back where the trail, my trail began.
I saw only a few other cars and bikes on
my way in and nodded to each in turn. There
(05:09):
is a quiet camaraderie among the people who hike and
bike in parks. We're glad that other people are enjoying
the land, but we don't want to talk. Most of
what were there for is peace and quiet. I parked
my car and stepped out into the humid summer air.
(05:33):
I took a few slow breaths and pulled the clean
atmosphere deep into my lungs. There is a way that
the woods smell in the summer time that stops you
in your tracks and gives you such a feeling of
bone deep rightness that you can only stand still and
(05:58):
let it permeate through every layer of yourself. It's the
smell of potent, dark green health and abundancy, and it
was all around me already. I checked my pockets. I
had some peppermint lip balm, my car key, a fully
(06:22):
charged phone and ear buds, and a flask of water.
Sometimes I didn't listen to anything when I walked, especially
on days when I felt overstimulated to begin with. After all,
the woods supply a soundtrack that is hard to compete with.
(06:46):
But to day I had a new book to listen to,
a long tangled mystery to dip my mind into, and
wandering through the story while I wandered through the woods
sounded like a superb treet. The trail started out as
(07:07):
crushed stone with fields of high grasses on either side,
and it took a few minutes walk to make it
into the cover of the trees and loose sight of
the car. There were grasshoppers jumping in a path, and
a few birds with scarlet wings and shiny black bodies,
(07:28):
skimming over the grasses into the trees. I took my time.
I followed the path at my leisure, stopping to look
at flowing creeks, running my hands over a knotted birl
on a tree, and listening to woodpeckers high in the
(07:50):
branches above me, and then picking up my pace again,
and feeling the pleasant fatigue in my legs and the
warmth in my body. The trail was sometimes flat and even,
and surrounded by ferns and hostas. Then it rose high
(08:11):
along a hillside, and I climbed, breathing hard and looking
down into the patch of tree trunks on the forest floor.
I watched the whirly birds of maple trees, catching bits
of sunlight as they fell. Those winged seeds. They're called samaras.
(08:33):
I said the word aloud, Samara. Then I walked on.
I listened to my story overlaying the characters and scenescapes
of the book on the woods around me. The trail
has short cuts and loops, and smaller paths pathlets that
(08:58):
lead off in different directions. I took some of them
and saw new spots I hadn't seen before. Who was
the last person to have stood here? I wondered, Has
it been years? Decades? Am I the first? The light
(09:22):
began to change, and I felt the cool breeze of
a coming rain storm. I stopped my story and tucked
my earbuds into my pocket. I didn't want to miss
the sound of a rising wind pushing through the leaves.
I felt light and cool, and nearly ran through the
(09:44):
trails on soft packed dirt and pine needles, and listened
as rain began to fall on the canopy above me.
It poured on me as I burst out of the
cover of the trees and made straight for my car.
The cool rain soaked into me and made me laugh
and shriek as I fumbled with my key. Then I
(10:09):
tucked down into my car, and, wiping my glasses on
my shirt, tittered to myself as the rain drummed down
around me. I thought for a moment of warm, dry
clothes at home, a long lunch with the company of
my book, and stretching out on my sofa with the
windows cracked and a cool cat's paw breeze moving around me,
(10:35):
and I started for home. Sometimes nothing will do but
getting yourself deep into the woods and walking, and that
(10:57):
was what to day was for. It was a warm
morning at the end of the summer, and I was
driving out to my favorite trail, an a state park
near my home. I went two or three times a
week and walked for an hour at least, sometimes having
(11:20):
to force myself to turn around and head back so
I wouldn't be late to work or some appointment. But
to day I had no other plans and no place
to be, so I would wander and walk to my
(11:41):
heart's content. The park was quiet, and I rolled the
windows down as I drove over the winding road to
the very back where the trail, my trail began. I
(12:02):
saw only a few other cars and bikes on my
way in and nodded to each in turn. There is
a quiet camaraderie among the people who hike and bike
and parks. We're glad that other people are enjoying the land,
(12:23):
but we don't want to talk. Most of what we're
there for is peace and quiet. I parked my car
and stepped out into the humid summer air. I took
a few slow breaths and pulled the clean atmosphere deep
(12:48):
into my lungs. There is a way that the woods
smell in the summertime that stops you in your tracks
and gives you such a feeling of bone deep rightness
that you can only stand still and let it permeate
(13:12):
through every layer of yourself. It's the smell of potent,
dark green health, an abundancy, and it was all around
me already. I checked my pockets. I had some peppermint
(13:33):
lip balm, my car key, a fully charged phone and
ear buds, and a flask of water. Sometimes I didn't
listen to anything when I walked, especially on days when
(13:53):
I felt overstimulated to begin with. After all, the woods
supply a soundtrack that's hard to compete with. But to
day I had a new book to listen to, a
long tangled mystery to dip my mind into, and wandering
(14:19):
through the story while I wandered through the woods sounded
like a superb treat. The trail started out as crushed
stone with fields of high grasses on either side, and
(14:40):
it took a few minutes walk to make it into
the cover of the trees and lose sight of the car.
There were grasshoppers jumping in the path and a few
birds with scarlet wings and shiny black bodies skim over
the grasses into the trees. I took my time. I
(15:08):
followed the path at my leisure, stopping to look at
flowing creeks, running my hands over a knotted birl on
a tree, and listening to woodpeckers high in the branches
above me, and then picking up my pace again, and
(15:29):
feeling the pleasant fatigue in my legs and the warmth
in my body. The trail was sometimes flat and even,
and surrounded by ferns and hostas. Then it rose high
(15:49):
along a hillside, and I climbed, breathing hard and looking
down into a patch of tree trunks on the forest floor.
I watched the whirly birds of maple trees, catching bits
of sunlight as they fell. Those winged seeds. They're called samaras.
(16:15):
I said the word aloud, Samara. Then I walked on.
I listened to my story overlaying the characters and sceneescapes
of the book on the woods around me. The trail
(16:36):
has short cuts and loops and smaller paths pathlets that
lead off in different directions. I took some of them
and saw new spots I hadn't seen before, who was
the last person to have stood here, I wondered, has
(17:01):
it been years? Decades? Am I the first? The light
began to change and I felt the cool breeze of
coming rain storm. I stopped my story and tucked my
(17:22):
ear buds into my pocket. I didn't want to miss
the sound of a rising wind pushing through the leaves.
I felt light and cool, and nearly ran through the
trails on soft pack dirt and pine needles, and listened
(17:43):
as rain began to fall on the canopy above me.
It poured on me as I burst out of the
cover of the trees and made straight for my car.
The cool rain soaked into me and made me laugh
and shriek as I fumbled with the key. Then I
(18:05):
tucked down into my car, and, wiping my glasses on
my shirt, tittered to myself as the rain drummed down
around me. I thought for a moment of warm, dry
clothes at home, a long lunch with a company of
my book and stretching out on my sofa with the
(18:28):
windows cracked and a cool cat's paw breeze moving around me,
and I started for home. Sweet dreams
Welcome to Bedtime Stories for grown ups, in which nothing
much happens, you feel good, and then you fall asleep.
All stories are written and read by me, Catherine Nikolay,
(00:21):
with audio engineering by Bob Wittersheim. We only have a
couple stories left in this our first season of nothing
much happens, so be sure to subscribe now so you
don't miss a single episode of our next season, which
will come out in the fall of this year. I
(00:44):
have so many stories to tell you about kicking through
fallen leaves and the feeling of cool autumn air on
your face. Stories about putting out pumpkins on front stoops
and baking pies on feeling the first snowflake of the
season land on your cheek. If you enjoy our stories,
(01:08):
please share them any way you can with any one
who likes relaxing and good sleep, and follow us on
Facebook and Instagram for some extra coziness. Now let me
say a little about how to use this podcast. I
(01:29):
am about to tell you a bedtime story to help
you relax and to ease your mind and to sleep.
The story is simple and not much happens in it,
and that is the idea. Just let your mind follow
along with the details of what you hear and the
(01:51):
sound of my voice. I'll tell the story twice, and
I'll go a little bit slower the second time through.
If you find that you are still awake at the
end of the second telling, not to worry. That's just fine.
You could listen again or just walk yourself back through
(02:14):
any of the details that you remember, and before you
know it, you'll be slinking down into a deep and
RESTful sleep. This is a kind of brain training, and
the more you do it, the more your sleep will improve.
So be patient if you are new to this. Now
(02:39):
it's time to switch off the light, set aside anything
you've been working on or playing with, and settle your
body into the most comfortable position that you can find.
Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose and
(03:02):
out through your mouth. Nice, do that one more time.
Breathe in and out. Good. Our story to night is
(03:22):
called a walk in the woods, and it's a story
about getting far out into nature and trading in your
usual cares for the sights and the sounds of the countryside.
It's also about the pleasures of wandering, worldly birds, falling
(03:42):
to the forest floor, and being alone. Sometimes nothing will do,
but getting yourself deep into the woods and walking, and
that was what to day was for. It was a
(04:04):
warm morning at the end of the summer, and I
was driving out to my favorite trail in a state
park near my home. I went two or three times
a week and walked for an hour at least, sometimes
having to force myself to turn around and head back
(04:26):
so I wouldn't be late to work or some appointment.
But to day I had no other plans and no
place to be, so I would wander and walk to
my heart's content. The park was quiet, and I rolled
(04:47):
the windows down as I drove slowly over the winding
road to the very back where the trail, my trail began.
I saw only a few other cars and bikes on
my way in and nodded to each in turn. There
(05:09):
is a quiet camaraderie among the people who hike and
bike in parks. We're glad that other people are enjoying
the land, but we don't want to talk. Most of
what were there for is peace and quiet. I parked
my car and stepped out into the humid summer air.
(05:33):
I took a few slow breaths and pulled the clean
atmosphere deep into my lungs. There is a way that
the woods smell in the summer time that stops you
in your tracks and gives you such a feeling of
bone deep rightness that you can only stand still and
(05:58):
let it permeate through every layer of yourself. It's the
smell of potent, dark green health and abundancy, and it
was all around me already. I checked my pockets. I
had some peppermint lip balm, my car key, a fully
(06:22):
charged phone and ear buds, and a flask of water.
Sometimes I didn't listen to anything when I walked, especially
on days when I felt overstimulated to begin with. After all,
the woods supply a soundtrack that is hard to compete with.
(06:46):
But to day I had a new book to listen to,
a long tangled mystery to dip my mind into, and
wandering through the story while I wandered through the woods
sounded like a superb treet. The trail started out as
(07:07):
crushed stone with fields of high grasses on either side,
and it took a few minutes walk to make it
into the cover of the trees and loose sight of
the car. There were grasshoppers jumping in a path, and
a few birds with scarlet wings and shiny black bodies,
(07:28):
skimming over the grasses into the trees. I took my time.
I followed the path at my leisure, stopping to look
at flowing creeks, running my hands over a knotted birl
on a tree, and listening to woodpeckers high in the
(07:50):
branches above me, and then picking up my pace again,
and feeling the pleasant fatigue in my legs and the
warmth in my body. The trail was sometimes flat and even,
and surrounded by ferns and hostas. Then it rose high
(08:11):
along a hillside, and I climbed, breathing hard and looking
down into the patch of tree trunks on the forest floor.
I watched the whirly birds of maple trees, catching bits
of sunlight as they fell. Those winged seeds. They're called samaras.
(08:33):
I said the word aloud, Samara. Then I walked on.
I listened to my story overlaying the characters and scenescapes
of the book on the woods around me. The trail
has short cuts and loops, and smaller paths pathlets that
(08:58):
lead off in different directions. I took some of them
and saw new spots I hadn't seen before. Who was
the last person to have stood here? I wondered, Has
it been years? Decades? Am I the first? The light
(09:22):
began to change, and I felt the cool breeze of
a coming rain storm. I stopped my story and tucked
my earbuds into my pocket. I didn't want to miss
the sound of a rising wind pushing through the leaves.
I felt light and cool, and nearly ran through the
(09:44):
trails on soft packed dirt and pine needles, and listened
as rain began to fall on the canopy above me.
It poured on me as I burst out of the
cover of the trees and made straight for my car.
The cool rain soaked into me and made me laugh
and shriek as I fumbled with my key. Then I
(10:09):
tucked down into my car, and, wiping my glasses on
my shirt, tittered to myself as the rain drummed down
around me. I thought for a moment of warm, dry
clothes at home, a long lunch with the company of
my book, and stretching out on my sofa with the
windows cracked and a cool cat's paw breeze moving around me,
(10:35):
and I started for home. Sometimes nothing will do but
getting yourself deep into the woods and walking, and that
(10:57):
was what to day was for. It was a warm
morning at the end of the summer, and I was
driving out to my favorite trail, an a state park
near my home. I went two or three times a
week and walked for an hour at least, sometimes having
(11:20):
to force myself to turn around and head back so
I wouldn't be late to work or some appointment. But
to day I had no other plans and no place
to be, so I would wander and walk to my
(11:41):
heart's content. The park was quiet, and I rolled the
windows down as I drove over the winding road to
the very back where the trail, my trail began. I
(12:02):
saw only a few other cars and bikes on my
way in and nodded to each in turn. There is
a quiet camaraderie among the people who hike and bike
and parks. We're glad that other people are enjoying the land,
(12:23):
but we don't want to talk. Most of what we're
there for is peace and quiet. I parked my car
and stepped out into the humid summer air. I took
a few slow breaths and pulled the clean atmosphere deep
(12:48):
into my lungs. There is a way that the woods
smell in the summertime that stops you in your tracks
and gives you such a feeling of bone deep rightness
that you can only stand still and let it permeate
(13:12):
through every layer of yourself. It's the smell of potent,
dark green health, an abundancy, and it was all around
me already. I checked my pockets. I had some peppermint
(13:33):
lip balm, my car key, a fully charged phone and
ear buds, and a flask of water. Sometimes I didn't
listen to anything when I walked, especially on days when
(13:53):
I felt overstimulated to begin with. After all, the woods
supply a soundtrack that's hard to compete with. But to
day I had a new book to listen to, a
long tangled mystery to dip my mind into, and wandering
(14:19):
through the story while I wandered through the woods sounded
like a superb treat. The trail started out as crushed
stone with fields of high grasses on either side, and
(14:40):
it took a few minutes walk to make it into
the cover of the trees and lose sight of the car.
There were grasshoppers jumping in the path and a few
birds with scarlet wings and shiny black bodies skim over
the grasses into the trees. I took my time. I
(15:08):
followed the path at my leisure, stopping to look at
flowing creeks, running my hands over a knotted birl on
a tree, and listening to woodpeckers high in the branches
above me, and then picking up my pace again, and
(15:29):
feeling the pleasant fatigue in my legs and the warmth
in my body. The trail was sometimes flat and even,
and surrounded by ferns and hostas. Then it rose high
(15:49):
along a hillside, and I climbed, breathing hard and looking
down into a patch of tree trunks on the forest floor.
I watched the whirly birds of maple trees, catching bits
of sunlight as they fell. Those winged seeds. They're called samaras.
(16:15):
I said the word aloud, Samara. Then I walked on.
I listened to my story overlaying the characters and sceneescapes
of the book on the woods around me. The trail
(16:36):
has short cuts and loops and smaller paths pathlets that
lead off in different directions. I took some of them
and saw new spots I hadn't seen before, who was
the last person to have stood here, I wondered, has
(17:01):
it been years? Decades? Am I the first? The light
began to change and I felt the cool breeze of
coming rain storm. I stopped my story and tucked my
(17:22):
ear buds into my pocket. I didn't want to miss
the sound of a rising wind pushing through the leaves.
I felt light and cool, and nearly ran through the
trails on soft pack dirt and pine needles, and listened
(17:43):
as rain began to fall on the canopy above me.
It poured on me as I burst out of the
cover of the trees and made straight for my car.
The cool rain soaked into me and made me laugh
and shriek as I fumbled with the key. Then I
(18:05):
tucked down into my car, and, wiping my glasses on
my shirt, tittered to myself as the rain drummed down
around me. I thought for a moment of warm, dry
clothes at home, a long lunch with a company of
my book and stretching out on my sofa with the
(18:28):
windows cracked and a cool cat's paw breeze moving around me,
and I started for home. Sweet dreams
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