WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:08.240
Welcome to Sleepy Shorts Short Stories for
Bedtime. This podcast is brought to you

2
00:00:08.359 --> 00:00:13.640
by I have a story to tell
you that will help take your mind off

3
00:00:13.919 --> 00:00:23.039
all of your worries and cares.
Just listen and relax, then drift peacefully

4
00:00:23.079 --> 00:00:29.640
into sleep. It's time to turn
off the lights and snuggle into your bed.

5
00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:39.320
Find your most comfortable position there.
Now take a few seconds to relax

6
00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:46.679
your mind. It's time to sleep. Time to rest and rejuvenate our minds

7
00:00:46.679 --> 00:00:54.280
and bodies. In order to prepare
our bodies for sleep, let's do a

8
00:00:54.320 --> 00:01:00.759
couple of muscle relaxation and breathing exercises. I want you to inhale for account

9
00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:07.799
of three, and while doing so, tighten all of your muscles and inhale

10
00:01:07.519 --> 00:01:17.200
one two, three, Hold your
breath, keep your muscles tense. Now

11
00:01:17.400 --> 00:01:25.359
exhale to account of six. While
you relax all of your muscles one two,

12
00:01:26.439 --> 00:01:34.319
three, four, five six,
feel your body sinking deeper into your

13
00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:41.959
bed. Let's do this one more
time. Take a deep three second breath

14
00:01:42.519 --> 00:01:52.400
as you tighten your muscles, hold
it now, relax and exhale to account

15
00:01:52.439 --> 00:02:04.920
of six. Let your body sink
even deeper into your bed. Now it's

16
00:02:04.959 --> 00:02:12.080
time for your sleepy short let me
help you fall asleep a trip on the

17
00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:20.680
river. Driving south past the entrance
to the National Forest, I can feel

18
00:02:20.680 --> 00:02:28.439
the cares of the everyday world begin
to fade away. The soft growl of

19
00:02:28.479 --> 00:02:32.280
my friend's jeep sounds as if it
also wants to get away from the city

20
00:02:34.199 --> 00:02:42.919
and play on the mountain roads.
After I am dropped off, my friend

21
00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:47.039
has plans to take the jeep to
the dunes down south and let it play

22
00:02:47.039 --> 00:02:54.599
in the sand. I have other
plans. Strapped to the rack of the

23
00:02:54.680 --> 00:03:01.479
roof is my yellow canoe, and
what I have planned is not play exactly,

24
00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:10.120
but a release of the tension and
expectations of the workweek. This is

25
00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:19.039
going to be me time. We
don't pass another car in the last fifteen

26
00:03:19.080 --> 00:03:23.560
minutes of the drive, and the
story is there won't be many out this

27
00:03:23.680 --> 00:03:30.759
weekend. With school getting ready to
let out in a couple of weeks,

28
00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:37.240
most people are saving up their vacation
for the summer. Once that happens,

29
00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:43.240
this kind of day won't be possible
until the kids head back to school in

30
00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:53.360
the fall. Best to enjoy this
while I can. My friend makes the

31
00:03:53.439 --> 00:04:00.039
left turn off the main road onto
a rutted dirt track, and after a

32
00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:06.280
few minutes we find the launch site, just a small gravel covered spot on

33
00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:15.599
the bank of the river and not
very well known to most people. After

34
00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:19.360
helping me pull the canoe down and
slip it into the water, my friend

35
00:04:19.480 --> 00:04:26.480
promises to see me Sunday afternoon.
Then all I see are the tail lights

36
00:04:26.519 --> 00:04:33.639
of the jeep heading back out the
way we came in. After doing a

37
00:04:33.720 --> 00:04:39.399
quick check of my gear and getting
it placed in the canoe where it would

38
00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:45.399
provide the best balance, I step
in and launch myself away from the shore.

39
00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:54.360
Settling myself in, I pick up
the paddle and begin moving it out

40
00:04:54.399 --> 00:05:00.720
to the center of the river.
Every now and then I dip my hand

41
00:05:00.920 --> 00:05:09.759
into the water and it feels cool
to the touch. This is a late

42
00:05:09.839 --> 00:05:15.879
spring day, so the temperature is
comfortable, with very little heat being reflected

43
00:05:15.879 --> 00:05:24.560
off the water. As I reach
the center of the river, I point

44
00:05:24.600 --> 00:05:30.720
the canoe downstream and lift the paddle. The current is just strong enough to

45
00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:40.360
move the canoe at a slow,
leisurely pace. I know this part of

46
00:05:40.360 --> 00:05:46.199
the river. There are no rapids, no rocks or waterfalls during the entire

47
00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:54.800
forty mile stretch, just a slow, meandering waterway that never once thinks of

48
00:05:54.920 --> 00:06:06.480
forming any white water. The sound
of the water lapping against the side of

49
00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:20.319
the canoe is enough to calm even
the most high strung soul. Putting in

50
00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:28.800
just below Thompson Dam meant forty plus
miles of dreamy, relaxing waters to float

51
00:06:28.839 --> 00:06:40.279
down, and I meant to enjoy
every inch of it. The river weaves

52
00:06:40.279 --> 00:06:44.839
its way through the forest, and
it seems I am the only one who

53
00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:51.519
feels the urge to be on the
water. In some places, the river

54
00:06:51.720 --> 00:06:58.800
narrows enough so that the trees on
opposite banks reach toward one another, like

55
00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:05.120
a mother reaching for a child,
where they can touch each other. Their

56
00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:18.079
branches intertwine like interlocking fingers. Sitting
back against the seat, I closed my

57
00:07:18.160 --> 00:07:24.600
eyes for a few minutes and let
the water carry me south at whatever pace

58
00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:31.160
the river decides. Most of the
time, that is a slow walking speed.

59
00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:39.079
That's okay, because I have nowhere
to be and no one to see.

60
00:07:42.759 --> 00:07:46.680
Instead of visiting someone else, I
decided to pay a little visit to

61
00:07:46.839 --> 00:07:58.120
myself. I pulled my hat down
a little lower over my eyes to shield

62
00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:07.000
them from the sun poking its way
through the leaves overhead. I can hear

63
00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:11.519
the birds high up in the trees, yapping back and forth as if they're

64
00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:18.120
discussing the goings on in the past
week. Periodically, I add my two

65
00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:28.000
cents to the conversation. Closing my
eyes, I feel the motion of the

66
00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:35.440
canoe as it glides over the surface
of the water. The gentle rocking is

67
00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:41.720
enough to bring peace to my soul
and take away the cares of the previous

68
00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:50.480
week. No longer do I worry
about the meeting on Monday. No longer

69
00:08:50.519 --> 00:08:56.639
does the size of my retirement account
weigh on my mind. I am in

70
00:08:56.679 --> 00:09:03.519
the moment, just me and the
river and whatever sense of calm the universe

71
00:09:03.840 --> 00:09:13.039
is fit to bestow upon me.
A fish jumps a few yards away,

72
00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:16.919
trying to catch a mosquito that had
gotten too close to the surface of the

73
00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:26.279
water. I'm so relaxed, I
don't even consider the thought of not having

74
00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:31.360
my fishing gear with me. Rest
easy to day, fish, You are

75
00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:41.799
safe until next time. I look
ahead and notice a deer and her fawn

76
00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:50.720
standing at the edge of the water, refreshing themselves. They watch as I

77
00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:56.960
float slowly by, Sensing no danger
from me at all. They make no

78
00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:05.639
attempt to run and hide. The
large brown eyes of the young one follow

79
00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:11.399
me as I look at her.
The white spots on her back are fresh

80
00:10:11.440 --> 00:10:18.240
and bright, telling me she isn't
much more than a month old. I

81
00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:22.440
think of saying something softly to them, but to side against it, not

82
00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:31.080
wanting to cause them any distress.
About the time the sun begins to dip

83
00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:35.600
to the west, I begin looking
for my favorite spot to spend the night,

84
00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:43.480
Having done this a couple of times
before, I know to look for

85
00:10:43.559 --> 00:10:48.960
the two fallen trees forming an X
on the right side of the river.

86
00:10:52.120 --> 00:10:54.720
It only takes a few minutes for
them to come into view, and I

87
00:10:54.840 --> 00:11:05.039
know that I have reached my stopping
point for the day. Hauling the canoe

88
00:11:05.080 --> 00:11:09.639
out of the water, I drag
it about twenty feet past the two trees

89
00:11:09.080 --> 00:11:18.799
into a small clearing that is no
bigger than the average bedroom bedroom. That's

90
00:11:18.879 --> 00:11:26.360
exactly what this space is going to
be tonight. I empty out my vessel

91
00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:31.559
and then gather a good number of
small branches from some nearby trees and lay

92
00:11:31.559 --> 00:11:35.559
them in the bottom of the canoe, spreading them out like a mat.

93
00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:43.080
Then I roll my sleeping bag out
over them. And finally, taking a

94
00:11:43.159 --> 00:11:48.960
light tarp from my pack, I
stretch it over the canoe. This is

95
00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:58.000
going to be my weatherproof bed this
evening. Sitting down, I start a

96
00:11:58.039 --> 00:12:03.720
small fire and use it to heat
some water. The hot water becomes soup

97
00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:09.200
and tea, adding that to a
sandwich purchased at a small deli. On

98
00:12:09.200 --> 00:12:18.159
the weight of the river, dinner
is served. Darkness claims the forest near

99
00:12:18.200 --> 00:12:24.080
the river, and I crawl into
the canoe with a flashlight, sliding into

100
00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:31.600
my sleeping bag and pulling a treasure
from my pack. In a dusty,

101
00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:39.720
musty used bookstore, I recently found
a first edition of Hemming Waves, a

102
00:12:39.799 --> 00:12:46.960
movable feast. At that moment,
I feel a kinship to Ernest, feeling

103
00:12:48.039 --> 00:12:50.759
sure that he would have loved to
go on a trip just like this.

104
00:12:56.639 --> 00:13:01.159
About an hour later, I turn
out the light and lay my head back

105
00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:07.559
on the soft part of my pack
and close my eyes. In the distance,

106
00:13:07.879 --> 00:13:13.360
I hear a hoot owl declaring its
dominion over this dark realm. As

107
00:13:13.399 --> 00:13:20.639
I drift off to sleep, I
smile to myself with a knowledge that no

108
00:13:20.840 --> 00:13:33.240
small animals in the forest would challenge
the owl's right to rain over this kingdom.

109
00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:39.080
The soft, gentle breeze blowing through
the upper branches of the trees serves

110
00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:50.480
as a final lullaby before the dream
state finds me. The morning sun is

111
00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:56.879
my alarm clock. Though the tarp
still shields my eyes. The sun brightens

112
00:13:56.960 --> 00:14:01.320
up the day enough that it's obviously
time to get up and get ready to

113
00:14:01.399 --> 00:14:09.600
move on. After a quick cup
of coffee in a bagel, the canoe

114
00:14:09.720 --> 00:14:15.639
is repacked, dragged back into the
water, and I am on my way

115
00:14:15.639 --> 00:14:26.080
again. These early morning hours are
filled with plenty of activity along the river.

116
00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:35.039
Ducks and geese swim and dive for
their morning meals. A great blue

117
00:14:35.080 --> 00:14:39.440
heron stalks the edges of the shoreline, looking for a meal that isn't paying

118
00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:50.480
attention. The day is a repeat
of yesterday, with its lazy pace and

119
00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:58.919
uncrowded waterways. In the twenty four
hours since I put into the water,

120
00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:03.440
I have only seen four other people, and they all seem to be in

121
00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:09.639
a hurry to get somewhere. That's
okay with me. You have to live

122
00:15:09.639 --> 00:15:20.360
your life at whatever pace you see
fit. The morning fades into the afternoon,

123
00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:22.720
and I know my time on the
river is coming to an end.

124
00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:31.759
Regretting having to do it. I
pull my phone for my pack and send

125
00:15:31.759 --> 00:15:37.480
a text message to my friend letting
her know I'm about an hour away from

126
00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:48.000
the pickup spot. She responds with
a quick smiley face. About an hour

127
00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:54.080
later, as I am pulling the
canoe out of the water, I hear

128
00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:58.720
the sound of the familiar jeep and
turn to see it coming into the parking

129
00:15:58.759 --> 00:16:07.600
lot. Almost before it has come
to a stop, my friend is out

130
00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:12.879
of a driver's seat and giving me
a big hug. How is the river,

131
00:16:14.440 --> 00:16:21.200
she asks me, to which I
respond truthfully, If it had been

132
00:16:21.200 --> 00:17:14.720
any nicer, I might never have
come back. Good night. One m

133
00:17:15.000 --> 00:20:00.079
M M m m M one mm
hm m m m M one h m

134
00:20:00.279 --> 00:22:34.119
m m m m m m m
m m m m m m m one

135
00:22:41.559 --> 00:26:17.160
m m M one m m m
m m like one mmm mmm mmm mmm

136
00:26:34.279 --> 00:29:32.720
m m m m m m m
m one mmm mmm m m one mmm

137
00:29:36.839 --> 00:31:34.799
mmmmmm the m M one m h
m hm m