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Welcome to Sleepy Shorts Short Stories for
Bedtime. This podcast is brought to you

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by I have a story to tell
you that will help take your mind off

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all of your worries and cares.
Just listen and relax, then drift peacefully

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into sleep. It's time to turn
off the lights and snuggle into your bed.

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Find your most comfortable position there.
Now take a few seconds to relax

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your mind. It's time to sleep. Time to rest and rejuvenate our minds

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and bodies. In order to prepare
our bodies for sleep, let's do a

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couple of muscle relaxation and breathing exercises. I want you to inhale for account

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of three, and while doing so, tighten all of your muscles and inhale

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one two, three, Hold your
breath, keep your muscles tense. Now

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exhale to account of six. While
you relax all of your muscles one two,

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three, four, five six,
feel your body sinking deeper into your

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bed. Let's do this one more
time. Take a deep three second breath

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as you tighten your muscles, hold
it now, relax and exhale to account

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of six. Let your body sink
even deeper into your bed. Now it's

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time for your sleepy short let me
help you fall asleep a Turkish vacation.

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Vacations are so relaxing, filled with
wonderful moments that later become precious memories.

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In summer, some people head to
the seaside, while others can't wait to

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escape to the mountains in order to
take a deep breath and fill their lungs

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with fresh cool air. Stepping out
of your everyday routine just makes you feel

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so relaxed, fills your soul with
peace, and makes you forget about anything

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frustrating or negative that came before last
summer. I set out to do something

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a bit adventurous, something different that
would help me unwind after a busy year.

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As an elementary school teacher, it's
often the educator that's more excited for

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the summer break than the students,
and I looked forward to the end of

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the year with anticipation since all the
teaching, grading, and creating lesson plans

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would finally be behind me. Now
it was time to accomplish all the things

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on my travel bucket list for the
summer and enjoy it to the fullest so

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I could recharge my batteries. Vacations
are important not only for the physical health,

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but also the mental health. And
I was in need of a break

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to nourish my soul, so I
stopped into a travel agency. I don't

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know why, but every time I
walk into a travel agency office, I

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can almost feel the waves of the
sea caressing my skin and my muscles,

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relaxing with a cool, refreshing beverage
in my hand. The woman who helped

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me welcomed me with a smile,
and perhaps it was because of her experience,

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but it seemed she already knew what
I was looking for, so it

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should have come as no surprise when
she suggested my dream get away. She

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didn't actually have to say anything,
but just hand me in inviting brochure.

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On it, there was a photo
depicting a woman under an umbrella, laying

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on a lounge chair with a cocktail
on a table next to her, A

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straw lay askew in the glass,
alongside a tiny umbrella and an orange twist.

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The drink made my mouth water,
and the beach beyond looked immaculate in

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the photo, the sand resembling tiny
particles of gold, which seemed to bathe

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the entire scene in a rich luster. A teeky style bar sat behind the

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woman in the picture, and the
bartender was making cocktails for some people waiting

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in a queue. Just gazing at
the photo, I could almost hear the

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chatter of the small crowd, along
with a sound of waves breaking against the

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shoreline. The water took on various
colors of turcos or dark blue, corresponding

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to the shadows and reflected sunlight.
But when the waves crashed into the shore,

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the foam took on the color of
pale green and sandy white. I

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was reminded of the sea glass I
used to collect as a child. Visiting

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the seashore. The brochure ignited a
spark inside me and a smile on my

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face. This was the place I
was certain I wanted to vacation there.

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When I asked the travel agent where
it was, she said it was in

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Turkey on its south coast. She
explained everything carefully in detail about the hotel

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and travel vouchers, along with many
of the customs, traditions, and of

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course the delicious food. I am
a huge, huge fan of coffee,

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and I knew that I must try
the Turkish coffee made in a special pot

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in the hot sand. The price
for the vacation was reasonable, but I

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knew that no money in the world
would prevent me from going. Since I

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was sold, only a few days
remained until my departure. I tried to

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pack light, since I wanted to
save some room for souvenirs that would remind

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me of my relaxing and peaceful holiday. It was an evening flight, and

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as the plane took off, I
started to drift into a deep sleep.

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Traveling by plane always makes me fall
asleep easily, though eventually the change in

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air pressure woke me up. It
was a pleasant flight. As soon as

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we passed through customs, there was
a man who welcomed us and directed us

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to a shuttle that would take us
to the hotel. Everyone was kind and

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helpful, and they provided us with
all the necessary information about our stay there.

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We arrived at the hotel and the
first thing I noticed was a large

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fountain in the hotel lobby. I
stood in front of it fixated for a

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moment. The sound made me instantly
relax and feel as if my vacation had

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officially begun. The rooms at the
hotel were spotless, and there was a

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lavender scent that permeated the air.
Candles had been lit in anticipation of our

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arrival, and the flames bathed the
room in an inviting glow. The bed

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was so comfortable and soft, and
the pillows were made of a very fine

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material that felt cooling to my face. But I wasn't ready to go to

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sleep yet. Instead, I planned
to relax in a hot bath laced with

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essential oils. So I paid a
visit to the hotel gift shop in order

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to buy some additional toiletries. The
employee there suggested that perhaps I might want

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to visit the hotel spa instead,
and that sounded heavenly. The clerk led

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me downstairs to the spa, a
room that included a Turkish bath that put

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my hotel bath tub to shame.
I entered the warm, steamy chamber and

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was met by soothing music playing in
the background, while the scent of lavender

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and rose invaded my senses in a
good way. I was met by a

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very nice attendant whose primary job was
to help me relax. I was happy

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to oblige. She began with a
gentle head massage. It felt like magic.

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All of my previous worries just melted
away. Then she brushed my hair

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and rubbed some oils into it to
soften it and prepare it for the salty

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water of the sea. She applied
a mask to my face that included a

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poultice of dried rose petals. Finally, she misted my face with a toner

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created from various herbs and rose water. She massaged my body with oil,

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which made my muscles relax completely.
After that, she drew me a bath

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and the traditional Turkish way. It
was a totally new experience for me,

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and afterwards my skin felt incredibly soft. I felt like a new person.

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After my spa treatment, I was
led to the beach to experience a Turkish

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coffee prepared in a special coffee pot
in the sand. I had never enjoyed

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coffee prepared this way before. The
heat from the sand actually boiled the dark

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brew. They served it with Turkish
Delight, a dessert traditionally enjoyed with coffee.

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Every bite and sip were truly exquisite, and the aromas opened my senses.

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On the beach, I heard some
relaxing music playing off in the distance,

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so I followed it to the beach
bar. The staff at the bar

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was very friendly and they wanted to
make sure I was taken care of assisting

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with any possible need. I brought
a few paperbacks with me, and between

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the waves, the cocktails, and
the easy beach reads, I'm not sure

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I could have felt more relaxed.
While we were in Turkey, we decided

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to visit some other cities near the
coast. We experienced a mixture of various

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nationalities and everyone we encountered had a
story to tell. It felt like a

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crossroads of different cultures. I met
some really interesting people on my trip.

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I enjoyed talking with them about various
aspects of life, and I was amazed

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by their point of view. The
poolside small talk was informative and charming.

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Actually, the entire vacation passed this
way, enjoying the food and culture and

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chatting with tourists. No planning,
no timetables. Everything seemed so perfect and

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felt just right. I enjoyed every
second of it. The trip healed my

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wounds, relieved my worries and stress, relaxed my mind, and calmed my

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soul. It was exactly what I
needed. I came back home with a

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lot of wonderful and amazing memories.
I also brought some small souvenirs to cheer

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me up. Every time I look
at them, I will be reminded of

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the relaxing sound of the waves crashing
into the sand, and the summer breeze

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caressing my skin, and of delicious
seaside cocktails, strong coffee, and hot

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baths. As summer came to a
close, with batteries recharged, I felt

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equipped to start the new school year, relaxed and refreshed, yet energized.

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My trip was precisely a medicine I
needed to feel better, renewed, and

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refreshed. Good Night, more to
to more to more to to to to

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to to to