Speaker 1: Welcome to bedtime Stories for grown ups, in which nothing
Speaker 1: much happens, you feel good, and then you fall asleep.
Speaker 1: I'm Catherine Nikolay. Today's bedtime story is short and not
Speaker 1: so much a story as just some reminders for when
Speaker 1: you've had a crummy day, so we're releasing it as
Speaker 1: a bonus episode as usual. I'll read our story twice,
Speaker 1: and I'll go a little slower the second time through.
Speaker 1: Let your mind just rest on the sound of my voice,
Speaker 1: on the simple details of what I'm saying, like an
Speaker 1: upturned leaf rests on the current of a river. If
Speaker 1: you find yourself still awake after the first or second reading,
Speaker 1: that's just fine. In fact, sometimes that's how this little
Speaker 1: system works. Don't worry. Just retrace your way through the
Speaker 1: details that you can remember, and before you know it,
Speaker 1: you'll be waking up tomorrow feeling rested and relaxed. Now
Speaker 1: it's time to turn off the light and set down.
Speaker 1: Put away anything that isn't a sleep mask or its
Speaker 1: eddy bear, Get as comfortable as you can, find your
Speaker 1: favorite sleeping position, and close your eyes. Let's take a
Speaker 1: deep breath in through the nose and a soft sigh
Speaker 1: out of the mouth. Good, do that one more time
Speaker 1: in and out. Our story tonight is called some days,
Speaker 1: and it's about being gentle with yourself when you're worn
Speaker 1: out and having a bad day. Buddhas said, you can
Speaker 1: search the whole tenfold universe and not find a single
Speaker 1: being more worthy of love and compassion than the one
Speaker 1: seated here yourself. Remember, you deserve gentleness and tenderness. Some
Speaker 1: days are not so great. Some days are just bad.
Speaker 1: So when you get home at the end of one
Speaker 1: of those days, stand in the kitchen for a bit
Speaker 1: and make a big cup of hot chocolate, add in
Speaker 1: a handful of chocolate chips and stir them in to
Speaker 1: make it a bit nicer. Or a cup of tea
Speaker 1: milky and sweet, with a good poor of whiskey in it.
Speaker 1: You can say to yourself while you're adding the whiskey,
Speaker 1: practically medicinal, but you don't need to. You can just
Speaker 1: have it because you want it. Then walk around the
Speaker 1: house checking the locks, and when you turn the last one,
Speaker 1: say to the world stay out there. Then go to
Speaker 1: your bedroom, set your cocoa by the bed and turn
Speaker 1: on just one small lamp. Find the softest pajamas you own,
Speaker 1: the ones that have been washed a hundred times and
Speaker 1: are so soft and cool and thin that just slipping
Speaker 1: them over your legs makes you sigh and really then
Speaker 1: a big soft hoodie. Sip it up and pull the
Speaker 1: hood over your head. Socks might help. Now get back
Speaker 1: to bed. If there is a person there, you can
Speaker 1: crawl into their lap and let them rub your head
Speaker 1: while you close your eyes. If there is a dog
Speaker 1: or a kiddie, they will crawl up with you and
Speaker 1: warm you with their quick beating hearts. If you are alone,
Speaker 1: relax knowing that you can show just exactly how you
Speaker 1: feel and don't need to explain it to anyone. If
Speaker 1: the phone rings, you don't have to answer it. If
Speaker 1: there are messages and things you didn't finish today, you
Speaker 1: can leave them till tomorrow. That's enough for today. Sip
Speaker 1: your chocolate, turn the light off, pull the blanket over
Speaker 1: your shoulder, take your mind somewhere soft and simple. Breathe
Speaker 1: in and out. Breathe in and out. Some days are
Speaker 1: not so great. Some days are just bad. So when
Speaker 1: you get home at the end of one of those days,
Speaker 1: stand in the kitchen for a bit and make yourself
Speaker 1: a big cup of hot chocolate add in a handful
Speaker 1: of chocolate chips and stir them in to make it
Speaker 1: a bit nicer. Or a cup of tea milky and
Speaker 1: sweet with a good poor of whisky in it. You
Speaker 1: can say to yourself while you're adding the whisky, practically medicinal,
Speaker 1: but you don't need to. You can have it just
Speaker 1: because you want it. Then walk around the house checking
Speaker 1: the locks, and when you turn the last one, say
Speaker 1: to the world stay out there. Then go to your bedroom,
Speaker 1: set your cocoa by the bed, and turn on just
Speaker 1: one small lamp. Find the softest pajamas you own, the
Speaker 1: ones that have been washed a hundred times and are
Speaker 1: so soft and cool and thin that just slipping them
Speaker 1: over your legs makes you sigh in relief. Then a
Speaker 1: big soft hoodie, zip it up and pull the hood
Speaker 1: up over your head. Socks might help. Now get back
Speaker 1: to bed. If there is a person there, you can
Speaker 1: crawl into their lap and let them rub your head
Speaker 1: awhile as you close your eyes. If there is a
Speaker 1: dog or a kittie, they will curl up with you
Speaker 1: and warm you with their quick beating hearts. If you
Speaker 1: are alone, relax knowing that you can show just exactly
Speaker 1: how you feel, and don't need to explain it to anyone.
Speaker 1: If the phone rings, you don't have to answer it.
Speaker 1: If there are messages and things you didn't finish today,
Speaker 1: you can leave them till tomorrow. That's enough for today.
Speaker 1: Sip your chocolate, turn the light off, pull the bank
Speaker 1: it over your shoulder, Take your mind somewhere soft and simple.
Speaker 1: Breathe in and out. Breathe in and out. Sweet dreams,