All the Way Around the Lake (Encore)

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Speaker 1 Welcome to bedtime stories for everyone,

Speaker 1 in which

Speaker 1 nothing much happens.

Speaker 1 You feel good,

Speaker 1 and then

Speaker 1 you fall asleep.

Speaker 1 I'm Catherine Nikolai.

Speaker 1 I write and read

Speaker 1 all the stories you hear on Nothing Much Happens.

Speaker 1 Audio Engineering is by Bob Wittersheim.

Speaker 1 We are bringing you an encore episode tonight, meaning that this story originally aired at some point in the past. It could have been recorded with different equipment in a different location.

Speaker 1 And since I'm a person and not a computer, I sometimes sound just slightly different.

Speaker 1 But the stories are always soothing and family-friendly. And our wishes for you are always deep rest and sweet dreams.

Speaker 1 Now,

Speaker 1 I have a story to tell you.

Speaker 1 It's a soft place to rest your mind.

Speaker 1 And I think it works best if you imagine yourself in it.

Speaker 1 So as you listen and follow along with the sound of my voice, pull the details of the story around you like a blanket.

Speaker 1 Before you know it, you'll be in deep, restorative sleep.

Speaker 1 I'll tell the story twice, and I'll go a little slower the second time through.

Speaker 1 If you wake in the middle of the night, you could listen again,

Speaker 1 or just pull those details back into your mind. Think through any part of the story that you can remember,

Speaker 1 and you'll drop right back off.

Speaker 1 Our story tonight is called All the Way Around the Lake.

Speaker 1 And it's a story about a slow walk on a cold day.

Speaker 1 It's also about crossing bridges,

Speaker 1 a paper birch tree on an island,

Speaker 1 and remembering things that were forgotten.

Speaker 1 Okay,

Speaker 1 it's time.

Speaker 1 Turn off your light.

Speaker 1 Set everything down.

Speaker 1 Get as comfortable as you can.

Speaker 1 You have done enough for today,

Speaker 1 and now it is time to sleep.

Speaker 1 Take a deep breath in through your nose

Speaker 1 and let it out your mouth.

Speaker 1 Again,

Speaker 1 slow in

Speaker 1 out with sound.

Speaker 1 Good,

Speaker 1 All the way around the lake.

Speaker 1 I was nearly there,

Speaker 1 taking the last few turns down the dirt roads on the far side of the orchard,

Speaker 1 out nearly to the county line.

Speaker 1 Snow had fallen steadily for the last day or so,

Speaker 1 and while the skies were still low and gray,

Speaker 1 the wind had gone, and the day felt bright.

Speaker 1 We often say to each other, when clouds blanket the sky,

Speaker 1 Where did the sun go?

Speaker 1 But,

Speaker 1 of course,

Speaker 1 it hasn't gone anywhere.

Speaker 1 It persists,

Speaker 1 steadily sending its warmth and light to us,

Speaker 1 even when we cannot see it.

Speaker 1 I'd been forgetting things like that lately,

Speaker 1 and it was laying me low.

Speaker 1 And I was looking at the world through the darkest, most smudged lens.

Speaker 1 A friend, hearing that heaviness in my voice over the phone,

Speaker 1 asked when the last time was

Speaker 1 that I'd been outside for a good long walk.

Speaker 1 I stopped to think

Speaker 1 and felt my face break into a smile.

Speaker 1 I almost laughed, seeing clearly for the first time in a few days.

Speaker 1 Thank you, was all I said,

Speaker 1 and hung up the phone

Speaker 1 and went to find my boots.

Speaker 1 I turned into the lot,

Speaker 1 just a clear, plowed space off the side of the road, with a dozen cars parked in it.

Speaker 1 As I stepped out onto the frozen gravel, I made sure I had my hat,

Speaker 1 my mittens,

Speaker 1 my muffler pulled over my chin,

Speaker 1 then felt into my pockets for other necessities

Speaker 1 and found a lip balm and a pack of tissues for the effects of this lovely, fresh cold air on my nose.

Speaker 1 I had everything I needed

Speaker 1 and set off down the trail toward the lake.

Speaker 1 Immediately,

Speaker 1 just being outside, I felt better.

Speaker 1 I took deep breaths of the piny, icy air,

Speaker 1 and it felt like a vitamin hitting my system,

Speaker 1 instantly boosting my mood and energy.

Speaker 1 The path went through through the woods for a while,

Speaker 1 and I stopped now and then to look up at the hundreds of bare branches against the sky.

Speaker 1 I saw bundles of twigs and leaves tucked into the crooks of tree boughs,

Speaker 1 avian summer homes now shuddered for the season

Speaker 1 Black squirrels, their thick, fluffy tails dancing behind them, were checking their inventory

Speaker 1 up one tree,

Speaker 1 across to another,

Speaker 1 down to the roots,

Speaker 1 and then digging in the snow.

Speaker 1 The path turned,

Speaker 1 and there was the lake.

Speaker 1 Ah,

Speaker 1 another dose of what I'd been missing.

Speaker 1 I stopped to take in a long look.

Speaker 1 There was an edge of ice along the shore,

Speaker 1 a yard or so wide.

Speaker 1 It was bright and white, with heaps of snow,

Speaker 1 and the water beside shone dark against it.

Speaker 1 Out in the middle of the lake was a tiny island,

Speaker 1 only as big around as a kitchen table,

Speaker 1 but with one tall paper birch tree standing on it.

Speaker 1 These trees, with their thin, flat bark,

Speaker 1 tend to attract folks with pocket knives

Speaker 1 who feel the need to carve in initials and dates.

Speaker 1 Even the oldest graffiti in the world,

Speaker 1 in tombs in Egypt,

Speaker 1 and labyrinths in Sudan,

Speaker 1 carved on stone walls of basilicas in Smyrna,

Speaker 1 mostly just say,

Speaker 1 So and so was here.

Speaker 1 It seems to be a universal compulsion to leave a mark.

Speaker 1 Still,

Speaker 1 I was glad that paper birch was safe from all of that out there,

Speaker 1 where it could drop its seeds to be carried on the water to some other fertile place.

Speaker 1 It seemed to me that planting a seed was a better way to leave a mark

Speaker 1 than carving out a scar.

Speaker 1 That

Speaker 1 lake scent of water and cold

Speaker 1 felt clear and clean in my nose and lungs.

Speaker 1 I kept walking.

Speaker 1 I was going all the way around the lake today.

Speaker 1 It would take an hour or more,

Speaker 1 and that was fine with me.

Speaker 1 I passed a family walking with their dogs, and we smiled at each other behind our scarves.

Speaker 1 Their dogs looked built for cold weather, with thick fur and broad chests,

Speaker 1 and pulled their people forward,

Speaker 1 their eager paws digging into the snow like they were pulling a sleigh.

Speaker 1 The path turned back into the woods for a bit,

Speaker 1 and scattered across it were a few fallen branches from a pine tree.

Speaker 1 I think it is the very best scent in the world, fresh pine.

Speaker 1 And I felt so incredibly lucky

Speaker 1 to be just where I was right then.

Speaker 1 I nearly laughed aloud at how far my mood had shifted just by spending a little time outside.

Speaker 1 Walking in the snow felt a bit like walking in sand.

Speaker 1 And while I knew that was good therapy for my legs,

Speaker 1 I reminded myself I wasn't on a deadline,

Speaker 1 and walked slower,

Speaker 1 and spent more time

Speaker 1 just looking at the landscape.

Speaker 1 The lake came back into view,

Speaker 1 and here it was solid ice, with geese and ducks walking and sitting on the surface,

Speaker 1 they honked and quacked at each other, or sat, unbothered by the cold,

Speaker 1 and turned their faces to the dim light of the sun behind the clouds.

Speaker 1 Among the mallards was one white farm duck.

Speaker 1 Every year I would look for him,

Speaker 1 a standout in the crowd, and the only member of his flock I could identify.

Speaker 1 But still

Speaker 1 I would eagerly search for him each spring.

Speaker 1 I hadn't found him this year,

Speaker 1 and hoped he was just watering at another lake,

Speaker 1 or that I was missing him by chance on my walks.

Speaker 1 Now,

Speaker 1 here he was,

Speaker 1 and I was so glad to see him.

Speaker 1 Maybe that's silly,

Speaker 1 or maybe it's the very best human instinct,

Speaker 1 just to check on others,

Speaker 1 even strangers,

Speaker 1 to see that they have made it safely back home.

Speaker 1 I was more than halfway round the lake now

Speaker 1 and came to a spot free from ice where the water flowed.

Speaker 1 There was a bridge made of stones and mortar that spanned a section of the lake where it split off into another.

Speaker 1 In the summer, you could look down to see a shoal of carp,

Speaker 1 each two or three feet long,

Speaker 1 with silver bellies floating lazily in the shallows.

Speaker 1 I stood listening to the water as it rushed under the bridge, dropping into the lower lake behind me.

Speaker 1 There's some magic about bridges, isn't there?

Speaker 1 It's where you fall in love at first sight in a movie,

Speaker 1 where you stand to toss over a corked bottle with a secret inside,

Speaker 1 or pensively skim stones.

Speaker 1 And if you were walking across a bridge on a summer night,

Speaker 1 just as a bloom of fireworks streaked the sky above you, would you ever forget it?

Speaker 1 Whether it is made of steel girders 277 feet up

Speaker 1 with tugboats and freighters passing underneath,

Speaker 1 or planks of creaking wood in a dense forest,

Speaker 1 or stones and mortar over hibernating carp.

Speaker 1 There is something about crossing a bridge that takes you out of your head

Speaker 1 and drops you right back into your body.

Speaker 1 I was nearing the end of my walk.

Speaker 1 Another ten minutes now, and I'd be back to my car.

Speaker 1 I was warmed up from the exercise, but felt the chill in my feet and in the tip of my nose.

Speaker 1 I'd needed a tune up,

Speaker 1 and I'd gotten one.

Speaker 1 I was recalibrated and ready to go back.

Speaker 1 I'd take off my layers

Speaker 1 and make a huge cup of hot chocolate

Speaker 1 and settle down in my chair that faces the back yard.

Speaker 1 I'd lift the cup to my lips and blow at the steam

Speaker 1 and look out at the red glow behind the clouds

Speaker 1 and remind myself

Speaker 1 that even when I can't see it,

Speaker 1 the light is there.

Speaker 1 All the way

Speaker 1 around the lake,

Speaker 1 I was nearly there,

Speaker 1 taking the last few turns down the dirt roads

Speaker 1 on the far side of the orchard,

Speaker 1 out

Speaker 1 nearly to the county line.

Speaker 1 Snow had fallen steadily

Speaker 1 for the last day or so

Speaker 1 And while the skies were still low and grey

Speaker 1 the wind had gone

Speaker 1 And the day felt bright

Speaker 1 We often say to each other

Speaker 1 when clouds blanket the sky

Speaker 1 Where did the sun go?

Speaker 1 But of course,

Speaker 1 it hasn't gone anywhere.

Speaker 1 It persists,

Speaker 1 steadily sending its warmth and light to us,

Speaker 1 even when we cannot see it.

Speaker 1 I'd been forgetting things like that lately,

Speaker 1 and it was laying me low.

Speaker 1 I'd been looking at the world through the darkest, most smudged lens.

Speaker 1 A friend,

Speaker 1 hearing that heaviness in my voice over the phone,

Speaker 1 asked when the last time was

Speaker 1 that I'd been outside

Speaker 1 for a good long

Speaker 1 walk.

Speaker 1 I stopped to think

Speaker 1 and felt my face break into a smile.

Speaker 1 I almost laughed, seeing clearly for the first time in a few days.

Speaker 1 Thank you,

Speaker 1 was all I said,

Speaker 1 and I hung up the phone

Speaker 1 and went to find my boots.

Speaker 1 I turned into the lot

Speaker 1 just a clear, plowed space

Speaker 1 off the side of the road

Speaker 1 with a dozen cars parked in it.

Speaker 1 As I stepped out

Speaker 1 on to the frozen gravel,

Speaker 1 I made sure

Speaker 1 I had my hat,

Speaker 1 my mittens,

Speaker 1 my muffler pulled over my chin,

Speaker 1 then felt into my pockets

Speaker 1 for other necessities,

Speaker 1 and found a lip balm

Speaker 1 and a pack of tissues

Speaker 1 for the effects of this lovely, fresh, cold air on my nose.

Speaker 1 I had

Speaker 1 everything I needed

Speaker 1 and set off down the trail toward the lake.

Speaker 1 Immediately,

Speaker 1 just being outside,

Speaker 1 I felt better.

Speaker 1 I took deep breaths of the piny, icy air,

Speaker 1 and it felt like a vitamin hitting my system,

Speaker 1 instantly boosting my mood and energy.

Speaker 1 The path went through the woods for a while,

Speaker 1 and I stopped now and then

Speaker 1 to look up at the hundreds of bare branches against the sky.

Speaker 1 I saw bundles of twigs and leaves

Speaker 1 tucked into the crooks of tree boughs,

Speaker 1 avian summer homes

Speaker 1 now shuttered for the season.

Speaker 1 Black squirrels,

Speaker 1 their thick, fluffy tails dancing behind them,

Speaker 1 were checking their inventory

Speaker 1 up one tree,

Speaker 1 across to another,

Speaker 1 down to the roots,

Speaker 1 and then digging in the snow.

Speaker 1 The path turned,

Speaker 1 and there was the lake.

Speaker 1 Another dose of what I'd been missing.

Speaker 1 I stopped to take in a long look.

Speaker 1 There was an edge of ice along the shore,

Speaker 1 a yard so wide.

Speaker 1 It was bright and white, with heaps of snow,

Speaker 1 and the water beside shone dark against it.

Speaker 1 Out in the middle of the lake

Speaker 1 was a tiny island,

Speaker 1 only as big around as a kitchen table,

Speaker 1 but with one tall paper birch tree standing on it.

Speaker 1 These trees,

Speaker 1 with their thin, flat bark,

Speaker 1 tend to attract folks with pocket knives

Speaker 1 who feel the need to carve in initials and dates,

Speaker 1 even the oldest graffiti in the world,

Speaker 1 in tombs in Egypt,

Speaker 1 in labyrinths in Sudan,

Speaker 1 carved on stone walls of basilicas in Smyrna,

Speaker 1 mostly just say,

Speaker 1 So-and-so

Speaker 1 was here.

Speaker 1 It seems to be a universal compulsion

Speaker 1 to leave a mark.

Speaker 1 Still,

Speaker 1 I was glad that paper birch was safe from all of that out there,

Speaker 1 where it could drop its seeds to be carried on the water to some other fertile place.

Speaker 1 It seemed to me that planting a seed

Speaker 1 was a better way to leave a mark

Speaker 1 than carving out a scar.

Speaker 1 That

Speaker 1 lake scent of water and cold

Speaker 1 felt clear and clean in my nose and lungs.

Speaker 1 I kept walking.

Speaker 1 I was going all the way around the lake today

Speaker 1 It would take an hour or more

Speaker 1 And that was fine with me

Speaker 1 I passed a family walking with their dogs

Speaker 1 and we smiled at each other behind our scarves

Speaker 1 Their Their dogs looked built for cold weather,

Speaker 1 with thick fur

Speaker 1 and broad chests,

Speaker 1 and pulled their people forward,

Speaker 1 their eager paws digging into the snow like they were pulling a sleigh.

Speaker 1 The path turned into the woods for a bit,

Speaker 1 and and scattered across it were a few fallen branches from a pine tree.

Speaker 1 I think it is the very best scent in the world, fresh pine.

Speaker 1 And I felt so incredibly lucky

Speaker 1 to be just where I was right then.

Speaker 1 I nearly laughed aloud

Speaker 1 at how far my mood had shifted

Speaker 1 just by spending a little time outside.

Speaker 1 Walking in the snow

Speaker 1 felt a bit like walking in sand.

Speaker 1 And while I knew that was good therapy for my legs,

Speaker 1 I reminded myself I wasn't on a deadline

Speaker 1 and walked slower

Speaker 1 and spent more time just looking at the landscape.

Speaker 1 The lake came back into view,

Speaker 1 and here it was solid ice,

Speaker 1 with geese and ducks

Speaker 1 walking and sitting on the surface.

Speaker 1 They honked and quacked at each other,

Speaker 1 unbothered by the cold,

Speaker 1 and turned their faces to the dim light of the sun behind the clouds.

Speaker 1 Among the mallards

Speaker 1 was one white farm duck.

Speaker 1 Every year I would look for him,

Speaker 1 a standout in the crowd,

Speaker 1 and the only member of his flock I could identify.

Speaker 1 But still

Speaker 1 I would eagerly search for him each spring.

Speaker 1 I hadn't found him this year,

Speaker 1 and hoped he was just watering at another lake,

Speaker 1 or that I was missing him by chance on my walks.

Speaker 1 Now

Speaker 1 here he was,

Speaker 1 and I was so glad to see him.

Speaker 1 Maybe that's silly

Speaker 1 or

Speaker 1 maybe

Speaker 1 it's the very best human instinct

Speaker 1 just to check on others,

Speaker 1 even strangers,

Speaker 1 and see that they have made it safely back home.

Speaker 1 I was more than halfway around the lake now

Speaker 1 and came to a spot free from ice

Speaker 1 where the water flowed.

Speaker 1 There was a bridge made of stones and mortar

Speaker 1 that spanned a section of the lake

Speaker 1 where it split off into another.

Speaker 1 In the summer you could look down to see a shoal of carp,

Speaker 1 each two or three feet long,

Speaker 1 with silver bellies, floating lazily in the shallows.

Speaker 1 I stood listening to the water as it rushed under the bridge,

Speaker 1 dropping into the lower lake behind me.

Speaker 1 There's some magic about bridges, isn't there?

Speaker 1 It's where you fall in love at first sight in a movie,

Speaker 1 where you stand to toss over a corked bottle with a secret inside,

Speaker 1 pensively skim stones.

Speaker 1 And if you were walking across a bridge on a summer night,

Speaker 1 just as a bloom of fireworks streaked the sky above you,

Speaker 1 would you ever forget it?

Speaker 1 Whether it is made of steel girders, two hundred and seventy seven feet up, with tugboats and freighters passing underneath,

Speaker 1 or planks of creaking wood in a dense forest,

Speaker 1 or stones and mortar over hibernating carp.

Speaker 1 There is something about crossing a bridge

Speaker 1 that takes you out of your head

Speaker 1 and drops you right back into your body.

Speaker 1 I was nearing the end of my walk.

Speaker 1 Another ten minutes, and I'd be back to my car.

Speaker 1 I was warmed up from the exercise,

Speaker 1 but felt the chill in my feet

Speaker 1 and in the tip of my nose.

Speaker 1 I'd needed a tune up,

Speaker 1 and I'd gotten one.

Speaker 1 I was recalibrated

Speaker 1 and ready to go back.

Speaker 1 I'd take off my layers

Speaker 1 and make a huge cup of hot chocolate

Speaker 1 and settle down in my chair that faces the backyard.

Speaker 1 I'd lift the cup to my lips

Speaker 1 and blow at the steam

Speaker 1 and look out

Speaker 1 at the red glow

Speaker 1 behind the clouds

Speaker 1 and remind myself

Speaker 1 that even when I can't see it,

Speaker 1 the light is there.

Speaker 1 Sweet dreams.