Latest / Abide Meditation App / Sleepy Story in the Nature _ A Quiet Rainforest Hike _ A Peaceful Sleepy Story

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Sleepy Story in the Nature _ A Quiet Rainforest Hike _ A Peaceful Sleepy Story · Abide Meditation App

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: we get sleepy. I'm Tom, your host. I hope you're
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: doing well, and whatever the reason is that you came
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: to listen to the show, whether it be because you
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: have some difficulty with sleep, or perhaps you just simply
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: enjoy our calming tales and having some background noise as
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: you drift off, Thank you so much for giving us
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: your company. I hope we're helping you rest a little
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: easier each night. In tonight's story, we'll take a quiet
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: stroll through a forest trail in Alaska with Jo and
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: her dog, Charlie. Let's take a moment to settle and
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: transition into a state of sleepiness. Simply make sure you're comfortable.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: Feeling your body pressing down into the supportive mattress below.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: And let your eyes gently close if they aren't already.
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: Allow your breathing to draw out a little longer. Nourishing
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: the body with each inhale. and enjoying the sense of
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: letting go each time you breathe out. Just watch the
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: darkness enveloping behind your eyelids. Maybe you can see flickers
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: of light and color here and there. Perhaps your mind
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: is already painting scenes across that blank canvas. Just observe
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: whatever comes up without judgment. And if you don't notice
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: anything at all, there's no need for judgment there either.
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: This is simply your time to observe anything that comes
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: and goes through your mind. Accepting whatever it might be.
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: and letting go, bit by bit. There's nothing you need
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: to do right now, so just follow the sound of
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: my voice as we head far into the northern part
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: of the world, Alaska to be exact, on a quiet,
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: rainy day. Imagine a small town built on the edge
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: of a large island covered by acres and acres of
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: evergreen trees. It's one of many islands in this temperate
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: rainforest in the southeast panhandle of Alaska. The town sees
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: nearly 200 inches of rain every year, but the people
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: who live here don't mind. They know the rain is
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: why their home is so beautiful, lush and green. The
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: rain is also the reason why they have abundant salmon
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: and other wildlife. Jo loves walking the many forest trails
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: around her home. It's nice to get out on the
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: rare sunny day, but like others who live here, she
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: doesn't let rain keep her indoors. It's Saturday, which means
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: she's going to take her dog, Charlie, for a walk
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: among the trees. Rain or no rain. Charlie is a big,
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: shaggy mixed breed, and is about eight years old. Joe
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: adopted him from the local shelter when he was just
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: a year old, and they've been inseparable ever since. He's
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: a sweet, mellow dog, who, like most dogs, appreciates the
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: simple thing. Those include, in order, his person, food, walks,
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: interesting smells, and sometimes chasing squirrels. It's raining today, of course,
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: but not too hard. Jo decides she doesn't need full
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: rain gear for today's adventure. she can get away with
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: her hooded rain jacket and rubber hiking boots. She has
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: a pair of quick-dryer trousers that will repel most of
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: the raindrops, especially once they're on the trail, protected by
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: the canopy of trees. She gets dressed, puts the lead
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: on Charlie, and says goodbye to her cat, Mittens. Then,
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: she walks out the door, with Charlie trotting happily beside her.
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: They get into the car, and head toward the trail
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: she's chosen for that day. It's not far, maybe a
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: twenty minute drive, The road runs close to the coast
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: with a clear view of the ocean most of the way.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: The body of water looks almost like a wide river
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: because another tree-covered island is less than a mile away.
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: As Jo drives, she glances out over the narrow strip
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: of ocean periodically. looking for the telltale black fin of
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: an orca, or the grey flukes of a diving humpback whale.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: She doesn't see any signs of whales today, but she's
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: been lucky other times. Whale sightings are among the many
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: benefits of living along the coast in Alaska. The trail
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: she's chosen for today is a couple of miles long
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: and meanders through the forest, ending at a rocky beach.
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: It will be low tide by the time they get
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: to the beach and Jo looks forward to exploring the
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: tide pools. Jo pulls into the parking lot and is
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: pleased to see no other cars. She and Charlie will
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: have the trail to themselves this morning. She gets out
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: of the car, and Charlie pops out after her, eager
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: to sniff all the smells. The path before them is
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: framed by evergreen, They start along the trail, gravel crunching
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: lightly under Joe's feet. The soft sound of Charlie's nose
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: busily snuffling the ground and bushes blends with the quiet
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: sounds of the forest. The rain remains light and is
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: even lighter under the trees. Jo doesn't even need her
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: hood up now. There's a gentle sound of raindrops hitting
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: the trees far above her head, and the air smells fresh.
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: A breeze ruffles her hair. It's early spring, and Jo
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: can see a few signals that the forest is getting
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: ready for summer. Buds are just starting to form on
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: the salmonberry bushes, a good sign for berry picking later
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: in the year. And new leaves are starting on the
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: many huckleberry shrubs. Just off the trail, in a low,
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: wet area, Joe sees the bright yellow flower of a
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: skunk cabbage, It's an odd, prehistoric-looking, lily-shaped bloom. And for now,
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: it's still tiny. The huge leaves haven't formed yet. By summer,
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: the bloom will be gone, and only the leaves will remain.
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: She's happy to see it. Skunk cabbages are the first
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: flowers to bloom in the forest. Warmer weather and longer
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: days are no doubt on the way. As Joe walks,
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: the forest opens up to reveal a muskeg. These boggy
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: areas are beautiful and home to interesting vegetation such as
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: Labrador tea and the sundew, which catches insects. Bog laurels
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: also live in the muskeg, and will reveal beautiful blooms
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: later in the year. Now, though, the open landscape is
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: a mix of green, brown, and grey, shrouded in mist.
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: A few small, twisted pines grow in the muskeg. They're
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: stunted because the peat that makes up the bulk doesn't
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: have the nutrients needed for them to grow tall and straight,
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: like the other evergreens in the forest. These muskeg trees
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: are hundreds of years old, yet barely as tall as Joe.
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: Jo stops to look out into the open muskeg. She
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: stands still, scans the landscape, and takes a deep breath.
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: It's quiet. There's no sound of people or civilization here
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: on the trail. Only natural sounds reach her ears. Jo
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: feels her mind relax as it lets go of tension
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: from the past week. This is why she loves forest trails.
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: Walking quietly in the trees refreshes her soul. Charlie nudges
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: her hand, letting her know he's ready to move on.
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: She smiles down at him and nods. They continue along
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: the trail, soon leaving the open muskek and re-entering the forest.
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: Trees are older here, and the forest floor is more open, Tall,
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: straight cedar trees flank both sides of the trail, and
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: the ground in between is covered with bright green moss.
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: Every now and then, Joe comes across a nurse log.
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: When a tree falls due to disease or a really
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: strong windstorm, it becomes a nursery for for other plants
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: while it slowly decomposes the downed tree eventually becomes soil
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: and provides the opportunity for a new tree to take
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: root in its place the trail has been fairly level
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: so far but now it starts to descend as they
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: get closer to the beach Joe can see ahead where
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: the tree line ends and the rocky beach begins. Charlie
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: sees it too and starts panting to show his enthusiasm.
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: He knows they'll play fetch on the beach and he'll
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: get to go swimming. They emerge from the trees and
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: the rain has slowed to a light mist. There's a
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: slight breeze, and the tide is at its lowest point.
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: There is a wide stretch of beach covered with lines
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: of seaweed left by the receding tide. Jo can see
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: some tide pools she wants to check out before the
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: ocean starts to creep back up first though charlie needs
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: some attention there's not much that can match the simple
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: honest joy of a dog fetching a tennis ball on
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: a beach joe has almost as much fun as charlie
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: while she throws the ball over and over and Charlie
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: zooms after it with unbridled enthusiasm each time. Joe throws
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: it into the water a couple of times too, and
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: Charlie plunges into the frigid ocean with no hesitation. When
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: he finally stops bringing the ball back, and instead lays
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: down to chew on a piece of seaweed, Jo heads
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: for the tide pools to see what interesting ocean creatures
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: she can find. As she walks over one sandy section
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: of beach, tiny jets of water erupt around her. She
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: smiles as she realizes She is strolling over a clam bed,
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: and the buried clams are squirting water up through the fine,
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: silty sand. Jo knows she won't hurt the clams by
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: walking on their bed, so she keeps going towards the largest,
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: most promising tide pool. The pool is surrounded by a
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: circle of barnacle-covered rocks, with seaweed liberally sprinkled on top.
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: Jo climbs up onto the rocks, and then carefully makes
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: her way down to the shallow water, trapped by the
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: ring when the tide is out. Right away, she spots
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: a cluster of purple starfish clinging to one of the
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: rocks and waiting for their ocean to return. A tiny
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: crab scuttles away, ducking under a small, rocky overhang, hiding
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: from shorebirds. Jo is pleased to find a clump of
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: spiny sea urchins She rarely sees them up close. They're
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: a delicacy overseas and a valuable commercial fishery. But Jo
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: isn't here to take anything but a few photos on
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: her phone's camera. She zooms in with the lens and
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: tries to get a good shot of each ocean animal
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: she finds. Jo continues examining the various tide pools and
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: enjoys the quiet exploration. When she's finished looking into each one,
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: Charlie is still happily chewing on seaweed. So Jo walks
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: along the tide line, searching for beach glass. Starting off
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: as broken glass, Beach glasses. is tumbled by the ocean until,
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: over time, the surface is etched by salt and sand
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: into a gentle, muted colour and the sharp edges become rounded.
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: It's a great example of nature turning trash into treasure.
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: Jo walks slowly, eyes on the ground. Every now and then,
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: she spies a flash of color that's out of place
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: and reaches down to pick up a small piece for
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: her collection. Eventually she hopes to have enough to cover
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: a lampshade or at least make a sun catcher to
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: hang in her kitchen window. Her jacket pocket is now
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: heavy with beach glass and Charlie has eaten more than
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: enough seaweed for one day. It's time to head back.
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: Before leaving Joe looks out over the water. The ocean
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: is relatively calm, with only a slight chop to the waves.
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: There's a gap between neighboring islands, and in the far distance,
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: many nautical miles away, the mainland is just visible. revealing
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: tall mountains topped with snow. Joe calls to Charlie, and
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: they start back up the trail. Both the more relaxed
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: on the way home, taking their time. The edge of
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: the energy has been burned off, and now they can
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: really enjoy the sights, smells, and sounds of their forest trail.
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: As they pass through the muskeg, Jo hears the unmistakable
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: sound of a bald eagle. She looks up to find
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: the source of the delicate, high-pitched peal. After a little searching,
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: she sees it perched on a branch high up a
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: nearby tree. She watches for a few moments and listens
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: as it cries again. No matter how often Jo sees eagles,
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: she always marvels at their majesty. When they reach the car,
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: Joe takes out a soft towel from the boot and
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: gives Charlie a good rubdown. Between the rain, the dew-covered
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: trees and bushes, and swimming in the ocean, he is
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: soaked to the skin. Once he's as dry as she
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: can get him, Joe lets him jump into the back seat.
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: and gives him a treat. Before she gets into the car,
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: Jo hears her other favorite bird. The sound that catches
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: her attention is similar to water dripping, but she knows
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: it's a raven mimicking a sound that's common in the rainforest.
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: She looks up, and there he is, perched on a
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: light pole. The large, coal-black bird doesn't have the majesty
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: of the eagle, but Joe loves ravens nonetheless. Their ability
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: to mimic sounds is remarkable, and they are smart, resourceful creatures.
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: have big personalities too and seem to understand what you're
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: saying when you talk to them. This one was too
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: far away for conversation though, so Jo simply smiles at
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: the pleasure of seeing him and gets in the car.
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: She starts it up and heads out. but not before
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: making sure Charlie has an open window for the drive home.
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: He loves to stick his head out the window, catching
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: all the smells at high speed, ears flapping in the wind.
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: Once they're home, Joe gives Charlie his breakfast, and Mittens
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: gets a special treat too. Jo is a little chilled
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: from the adventure, so she takes a long, hot shower
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: to warm up, and then gets into her softest fleece
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: trousers and sweatshirt. She's more than ready for some cinnamon
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: toast and a cup of peppermint tea. Jo turns on
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: the kettle and puts some bread into the toaster. While
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: everything is heating up, she chooses soft classical music and
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: picks out one of her favorite Regency romances from her
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: collection of classics. She's read the book many times, but
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: she finds something new to enjoy each time she opens
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: the well-worn pages. When the tea and toast are ready,
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: she puts it all on a tray and takes it
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: and her book to her favorite chair. It's a soft recliner,
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: large and plump, It's perfect for curling up after a
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: good walk. Jo puts the tray on the side table,
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: turns on the reading lamp, and settles into the chair.
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: She puts the footrest up and covers herself with a
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: soft fleece throw that she keeps in a basket next
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: to the chair. In the meantime, Charlie has found one
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: of his chew bones and carries it to his cushioned
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: bed on the other side of Joe's chair. He's busy
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: and satisfied, gnawing on the bone. Mittens the cat waits
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: impatiently for Joe to finish covering herself with the fleece.
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: Once Joe is completely settled and ready to start reading,
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: Mittens jumps up onto her lap, turns several times, and
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: then curls into a tidy, purring ball. Joe takes a
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: sip of tea and picks up a piece of toast.
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: She takes a bite, savoring the combination of butter, sugar,
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: and spice, and starts to read. The rain has picked
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: up again, and the quiet patter of raindrops on the
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: roof is soothing. Inside, it's warm and quiet. The only
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: sounds are the soft music, Charlie chewing on his bone,
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: and mittens powering. Occasionally, there's the rustling of Joe turning
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: a page. That becomes less frequent though, as Joe's eyelids
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: keep wanting to close. Her breathing slows. and her body
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: starts to feel heavy. Charlie has finished chewing and has
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: fallen asleep. Mitten's paws are twitching lightly, as she dreams.
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: It's time for Jo to join them in an afternoon nap.
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: She marks her place in the book and puts it
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: on the side table. She reclines the back of the
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: chair until she's almost lying down. She scratches mittens on
• 30:33
  Speaker 1: the forehead. Then Jo tucks her arms under the fleece
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: throw and closes her eyes. Her breathing is slow and steady.
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: Her mind wanders as it prepares for sleep. She thinks
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: about trees, the ocean, and the whales. And soon, Jo
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: is fast asleep. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: Thank you for watching. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: for watching. Amen.