0:01

Welcome to bedtime

0:03

stories for everyone,

0:07

in which nothing much happens,

0:11

you feel good, and then

0:14

you fall asleep. I'm

0:17

Catherine Nikolay. I

0:19

create everything you hear and

0:22

nothing much happens with

0:24

audio engineering by Bob Witttersheim.

0:29

We give to a different charity each

0:31

week, and

0:33

this week we are giving to Trio Animal

0:36

Foundation. They

0:38

assist shelters, rescues,

0:41

and individuals by paying

0:43

the medical bills of homeless pets. Learn

0:46

more about them in our show notes. I

0:50

am so happy to introduce

0:54

our newest way to unwind

0:56

together then nothing much

0:59

happens wind Down Box.

1:03

Each product inside has been chosen

1:05

with care from my personal favorites

1:08

to enhance your evening routine

1:11

and ease you into a RESTful night. People

1:14

often ask me what I do to

1:17

fall asleep? Who reads to me? And

1:20

these are the products I use at night

1:24

to make sure I fall asleep comfortably

1:26

and stay asleep. And

1:29

it's like a little treasure box for

1:32

relaxation. It

1:34

features a versio wellnesses

1:37

chill now Rati extract

1:39

for peace and balance, delicious

1:42

nutri champs, tart cherry gummies

1:44

to support sleep, a

1:46

really great smelling calming

1:49

lavender candle, from Vella Box.

1:53

Also, there's a delightful mini

1:55

coloring book from a Brighter Year.

1:58

You can enjoy soothing chocolates

2:01

infused with sleep supporting mushrooms

2:03

from Alice Mushrooms and their

2:05

vegan and unwined

2:08

with Woolsey's Essential Oils. Plus,

2:11

for those nights when you need a little extra help,

2:14

we have new strips Melatonin strips,

2:17

super quick and effective. To

2:20

all of this, I added three mini

2:22

episodes designed to help you before

2:25

bed, if you wake in the middle of the

2:27

night, and to start the day

2:29

off on the right foot, visit

2:32

Nothing Much Happens dot com or the

2:34

link in our notes to

2:36

bring a piece of the village into

2:39

your home with our wind Down Box.

2:43

Now, a

2:45

mind that is gently focused rather

2:49

than wandering is

2:51

not only more likely to

2:53

slip into sleep, it

2:56

is naturally happier. I'm

2:59

calmer, So

3:02

think of this as a way to train your

3:04

brain for bed, but

3:07

also for a better day tomorrow.

3:11

Just by listening to the sound of

3:13

my voice and following

3:15

along with the general shape of our

3:17

story will

3:19

activate your task positive

3:21

network and you

3:24

will sleep. I'll

3:27

tell the story twice,

3:29

and I'll go a little slower the second

3:32

time. Through If

3:34

you're new to this, come with some

3:36

patience. You'll want to

3:39

use the stories regularly for

3:41

at least a couple of weeks to get the best

3:43

result. Our

3:46

story tonight is

3:48

called A Month of Sundays,

3:52

and it's a story about finding a way

3:54

to make time for rest and enjoyment.

3:58

It's also about a tin box of

4:00

recipe cards, a

4:03

neatly made bed with the corner

4:05

folded down,

4:08

ants and idioms, porch

4:10

swings and school buses,

4:14

and the delight of one

4:16

of the best days of the week.

4:24

Lights out. Campers, Snuggle

4:27

down into your bed

4:29

and get as cozy and relaxed

4:33

as you can. Wiggle

4:36

one foot into the cool corner

4:38

of your sheets. Relax,

4:41

your jaw, soften

4:43

any place where you are

4:46

still holding whatever

4:49

today was like is

4:51

what today was like. And

4:55

now we're here. Draw

4:57

a deep breath in through your

5:00

knows and

5:04

sigh from your mouth. Nice,

5:09

let's do one more breathe in and

5:15

out. Good

5:23

A month of Sundays. There

5:28

was a favorite phrase of

5:30

one of my aunts,

5:34

something i'd hear her say as

5:36

she gossiped with her sisters while

5:39

they sprawled across the sofa at

5:42

my grandparents' house. As

5:46

in he

5:48

couldn't win me over in a

5:50

month of Sundays, or

5:55

at the table for some holiday

5:57

dinner, she'd

6:00

leaned toward me and say,

6:03

pass me that dish of Grandma's

6:05

potatoes. I haven't

6:07

had them in a month of Sundays.

6:11

I thought of her whenever I heard it,

6:14

and sometimes said it as a way

6:17

to invoke her, to

6:20

bring her confidence and tra de

6:22

vive into what I was

6:24

doing or talking about

6:29

for a while. Like with many

6:31

idioms I heard as a child, I

6:35

didn't completely or correctly

6:38

grasp its meaning. I

6:42

tended to take those turns of phrase

6:45

literally. So

6:47

when someone talked about beating

6:50

about the bush, I

6:52

worried about the bush. When

6:56

I heard in an old black and white

6:58

Cops and Robbers movie

7:00

that somebody had better start talking

7:03

turkey, I was

7:05

excited for the upcoming

7:07

turkey cameo

7:10

and wondered if the ones I'd seen from

7:12

the car window on a long drive

7:15

through the country spoke human

7:17

as well. So

7:21

likewise, I thought, at

7:24

some point in time, I'd

7:26

flipped the page on the calendar and

7:30

come across the Sunday month, a

7:33

whole month of Sundays.

7:38

I'd even asked about it. When was

7:41

it happening. My mom

7:43

had smiled and

7:45

explained that it was just a saying,

7:49

a way to say a very

7:51

long time. A

7:53

month of Sundays meant enough

7:57

weeks for thirty or even

8:00

thirty one Sundays to pass.

8:05

I think I'd nodded and

8:07

gone away, still pretty confused,

8:10

when a bit disappointed, confused

8:14

that anyone would pick that

8:17

way to say a

8:20

long time, and

8:23

disappointed that there wasn't waiting

8:26

for me a

8:28

whole month when every

8:30

day would be a Sunday. As

8:35

a grown up, I can't say that I've ever

8:37

been able to clear a

8:39

whole month to

8:41

spend each day doing

8:44

as I pleased, resting,

8:47

reading, baking,

8:50

gardening, napping.

8:54

But sometimes it's

8:57

possible to fit an extra Sunday

9:00

in here and there.

9:05

Some days my to do

9:07

list would get set aside,

9:10

it would keep for a day, and

9:13

I would declare it a

9:15

Sunday. Middle

9:18

of the week didn't matter. It

9:21

was just Sunday yesterday. I

9:24

didn't care. It

9:26

could be Sunday if I said

9:28

so. Like

9:31

today, there

9:33

was a rumor going around that it was actually

9:36

Tuesday, but I'd

9:38

crossed that out on the calendar

9:42

and written over it in thick

9:44

green marker Sunday,

9:47

so clearly the

9:51

rumor mill can't be trusted. The

9:56

day had started a bit gloomy, over

10:00

cast and gray. It

10:03

had rained the night before, and

10:06

the sidewalks were still wet.

10:09

On Sundays, I usually

10:12

have a slow start, so

10:15

I poured a cup of coffee,

10:18

took a blanket from the back of the sofa

10:22

it stepped out onto the front porch. I'd

10:27

spent the previous weekend setting

10:31

up the furniture out there, white

10:34

being down the slats and the swinging

10:36

and chairs, sweeping

10:39

out the corners and

10:41

plumping up the cushions and pillows

10:45

after letting them freshen and the sunshine

10:47

for a few hours. It

10:52

was a bit chilly on the porch as

10:54

I settled on the swing and tossed the

10:56

blanket over my legs.

11:00

It's a skill to drink

11:02

hot coffee on a porch swing,

11:04

but I was an old hand.

11:09

It was all about getting settled

11:11

first, then reaching

11:13

for your cup from the side table, and

11:17

not trying to swing too vigorously

11:20

until half the cup was gone.

11:25

The school bus passed as I sipped.

11:29

They only had another week or so of

11:31

school before they let

11:33

out for the summer. The

11:37

bus driver waved at me, and

11:41

I could see in her face that

11:43

she was counting down the days

11:46

as much as the kids were. The

11:50

sun began to creep out, and

11:54

I watched as the shadows the trees

11:56

throw grew crisper lines

12:00

starker. It

12:04

seemed like we'd gone from a

12:06

few budded trees to

12:09

full leaf everywhere overnight.

12:14

The bird's song grew louder as

12:18

they got their dose of sunlight, and

12:21

by the time my cup was empty, it

12:25

seemed like a different day

12:27

than the one i'd woken up in. I

12:32

went inside, letting

12:34

the screen door bang behind me, and

12:38

climbed the stairs to my bedroom. I

12:42

opened the windows and

12:45

let the fresh air in. The

12:48

bed was rumpled after a good night's

12:51

sleep, and

12:53

I turned toward it and pulled

12:55

back the duvet. I

12:59

always appreciate coming back

13:01

to a made bed, so

13:04

most days I at

13:06

least straightened the blankets. But

13:10

since it was a Sunday and

13:13

I had all the time in the world, I

13:16

could do the job properly. I

13:22

smoothed the sheets, retucking

13:26

them so they were taut and

13:28

neat. Then

13:31

each pillow got shaken, flipped

13:34

and shaken again, and

13:36

placed just so on

13:38

the bed and

13:41

the douvet also plumped and

13:43

shaken. Went

13:45

on, and I folded

13:47

back the corner where

13:49

I would slide in tonight or

13:53

maybe this afternoon for a nap.

13:58

It was something my mom always did when

14:01

she helped me make my bed when I was

14:03

little. Turning

14:07

that corner down made

14:09

the bad feel so inviting,

14:14

so cozy and welcoming. I

14:19

was already looking forward to

14:21

getting back in next

14:26

Sunday activity. I

14:29

wanted to bake something in

14:33

the kitchen. I thumbed through cookbooks

14:37

and the handwritten cards in my recipe

14:39

box. What to

14:41

make? I

14:45

closed my eyes and rested

14:47

my hand on my belly. What

14:51

did I want? What was

14:53

I craving? Oh?

14:58

Carrot cake? I

15:00

smiled with my eyes still closed.

15:05

But sometimes seemed silly to

15:08

make a cake just for me. Wasn't

15:13

any one's birthday or holiday.

15:16

But then I remembered it was a

15:18

Sunday, and I hadn't had

15:21

carrot cake in

15:23

a month of those. So

15:26

I flipped through the cards in the tin till

15:29

I found a past down recipe

15:32

written in faded pencil. Of

15:36

course it had come

15:39

from that dear aunt.

15:43

I pushed the window open a crack over

15:45

the sink and

15:48

smelled lilacs on the breeze.

15:53

The sun was bright, the

15:55

day was young, and

15:58

I'd be finishing it with

16:00

a generous wedge of cake and

16:03

a maid bed with the corner turned

16:05

down. I

16:08

smiled into the breeze.

16:11

I was happy a

16:16

month of Sundays. It

16:21

was a favorite phrase of

16:24

one of my aunts,

16:27

something i'd hear her say as

16:29

she gossiped with her sisters while

16:33

they sprawled across the sofa at

16:36

my grandparents house, as

16:39

in, he couldn't win

16:41

me over in a month

16:43

of Sundays, or

16:48

at the table for some holiday

16:50

dinner, she'd

16:52

lean towards me and say, pass

16:57

me that dish of Grandma's potatoes.

17:00

I haven't had them in a month

17:02

of Sundays. I

17:06

thought of her or whenever I heard it, and

17:11

sometimes said it as a way to

17:13

invoke her, to bring

17:16

her confidence and jois de vive

17:19

into what I was doing or talking about

17:24

for a while. Like

17:26

with many idioms I heard

17:28

as a child, I

17:31

didn't completely or correctly

17:34

grasp the meaning. I

17:37

tended to take those turns of

17:39

phrase literally. So

17:42

when someone talked about beating

17:45

about the bush,

17:48

I worried about the Bush. When

17:52

I heard in an old

17:54

black and white Cups and Robbers

17:56

movie

17:59

that somebody had better start

18:01

talking turkey. I

18:04

was excited for the

18:06

upcoming turkey cameo

18:10

and wondered if the ones I'd seen

18:13

from the car window on a

18:15

long drive through the country spoke

18:18

human as well. So

18:22

likewise, I

18:24

thought. At some point

18:27

I'd flipped the page on

18:29

the calendar and

18:32

come across the

18:34

Sunday month, a

18:37

whole month of Sundays.

18:41

I'd even asked about it, when

18:45

was it happening? My

18:48

mom had smiled and

18:51

explained that it was just

18:53

a saying, a

18:56

way to say a

18:59

very long time. Month

19:03

of Sundays meant

19:06

enough weeks for thirty or

19:09

even thirty one Sundays

19:11

to pass. I

19:14

think I'd nodded and

19:17

gone away, still pretty confused

19:20

and a bit disappointed, confused

19:24

that anyone would pick that way

19:28

to say a long time, and

19:32

disappointed that there

19:35

wasn't waiting for

19:37

me a

19:39

whole month when

19:41

every day would be a Sunday. As

19:47

a grown up, I

19:49

can't say that I've ever been

19:52

able to

19:54

clear a whole month

19:58

to spend each day doing

20:00

as I pleased, resting,

20:05

reading, baking,

20:09

gardening, napping.

20:14

But sometimes it's possible

20:17

to fit an extra Sunday in

20:20

here and there. Some

20:25

days my to do list would

20:28

get set aside,

20:31

it would keep for a day, and

20:35

I'd declare it Sunday.

20:40

Middle of the week didn't

20:42

matter. It was

20:45

just Sunday yesterday. I

20:47

didn't care. It

20:50

could be Sunday if I

20:52

said so. The

20:57

day had started a bit gloomy, overcast

21:02

and gray. It

21:04

had rained the night before,

21:08

and the sidewalks were still wet.

21:12

On Sundays, I usually

21:14

have a slow start,

21:19

so I poured a cup of coffee,

21:23

took a blanket from the back of the

21:25

sofa, and

21:28

stepped out onto the front

21:30

porch. I

21:35

had spent the previous weekend setting

21:39

up the furniture out here, wiping

21:43

down the slats in

21:45

the swing and chairs, sweeping

21:49

out the corners, and

21:51

plumping up the cushions and pillows

21:56

after letting them freshen in the

21:58

sunshine for a few hours.

22:04

It was a bit chilly on the porch as

22:07

I settled on the swing and

22:11

tossed the blanket over my legs.

22:17

It's a skill to drink

22:19

hot coffee on a porch

22:21

swing, but I was an

22:23

old hand. It

22:27

was all about getting settled

22:29

first, then

22:31

reaching for your cup from the side

22:33

table, and

22:36

not trying to swing too

22:39

vigorously until half

22:42

of it was gone.

22:46

The school bus passed as I sipped.

22:50

They only had another week or so

22:53

of school before

22:55

they let out for the summer. The

22:59

bus driver waved at me, and

23:03

I could see in her face that

23:07

she was counting down the days as

23:10

much as the kids were. The

23:15

sun began to creep out,

23:19

and I watched as the shadows

23:21

the trees through grew

23:23

crisper, their

23:26

lines starker. It

23:32

seemed like we'd gone from a few

23:34

budded trees to

23:36

full leaf everywhere overnight.

23:42

The birds song grew louder as

23:45

they got their dose of sunlight, and

23:50

by the time my cup was empty, it

23:55

seemed like a different day than

23:58

the one I'd woken up in. I

24:03

went inside,

24:06

letting the screen door bang behind

24:08

me, and climbed

24:11

the stairs to my bedroom. I

24:17

opened the windows and

24:19

let the fresh air in. The

24:25

bed was rumpled after

24:27

a good night's sleep, and

24:31

I turned toward it and

24:34

pulled back the duvet. I

24:38

always appreciate coming back

24:41

to a made bed, so

24:44

most days I at

24:47

least straightened the blankets,

24:51

but Since it was a Sunday and

24:55

I had all the time in the world,

24:59

I could do the job properly. I

25:05

smoothed the sheets,

25:08

retucking them so

25:10

that they were taut and

25:12

neat. Then

25:15

each pillow got shaken out,

25:19

flipped and shaken again,

25:23

and placed just so on

25:25

the bed. Then

25:29

the duvet also

25:32

plumped and shaken.

25:37

I spread it out and folded

25:39

back the corner where

25:42

I would slide in tonight for

25:46

maybe this afternoon, for

25:48

a nap. It

25:53

was something my mom always

25:55

did when she helped

25:58

me make my bed when

26:00

I was little. Turning

26:04

that corner down made

26:07

the bed feel so inviting,

26:12

so cozy and welcoming. I

26:17

was already looking forward

26:20

to getting back in next

26:26

Sunday activity.

26:30

I wanted to bake something in

26:34

the kitchen. I thumbed through cookbooks

26:37

and the handwritten cards in

26:40

my recipe box. What

26:45

to make? I

26:48

closed my eyes and

26:51

rested my hand on my belly.

26:56

What did I want? What

27:01

was I craving? Mm?

27:06

Carrot cake? I

27:09

smiled with my eyes still

27:12

closed. It

27:16

sometimes seemed silly

27:20

to make a cake just

27:22

for me. It

27:24

wasn't a birthday or

27:28

a holiday, But

27:31

then I remembered it

27:34

was a Sunday, and

27:37

I hadn't had carrot cake in

27:41

a month of those, so

27:44

I flipped through the cards

27:46

in the tin till

27:50

I found a pasted down recipe

27:54

written in faded pencil. Of

27:58

course, it

28:00

had come from that

28:03

same dear aunt.

28:09

I pushed the window open a

28:12

crack over the sink,

28:16

and smelled lilacs on the

28:18

breeze.

28:22

The sun was bright, the

28:25

day was young, and

28:28

I'd be finishing it with

28:32

a generous wedge of cake

28:35

and a made bed with

28:38

the corner turned down. I

28:42

smiled into the breeze.

28:46

I was happy.

28:52

Sweet dreams