W-A-L-K

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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 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 Witterheim.

Speaker 1 We give to a different charity each week.

Speaker 1 And this week we are giving to Ells Place for grieving children.

Speaker 1 Ells Place is a non-profit, community-based organization dedicated to creating awareness of and support for grieving children, teens, and their families.

Speaker 1 You can learn more about them in our show notes.

Speaker 1 I'd like to personally thank some recent premium subscribers.

Speaker 1 So thank you, Dr. Jill.

Speaker 1 Thank you, Amanda.

Speaker 1 Thank you, to Ben and Matilda.

Speaker 1 Your support helps us continue to bring this service to millions of people around the world.

Speaker 1 And that matters. That is people helping people.

Speaker 1 If you'd like to join their ranks and get our entire catalog of over 350 original episodes, bonuses, and extra long apps, all ad-free

Speaker 1 for about a dime a day, click the link in our bio. The first month is on us.

Speaker 1 Now,

Speaker 1 I have a story to tell you.

Speaker 1 It is a way to gently unwind

Speaker 1 and guide your mind to someplace soft and safe.

Speaker 1 Just by listening, you'll build a reliable response that will help you fall asleep faster and return to sleep more easily the more you use it.

Speaker 1 Most people report that it takes about a month of regular use to see the best results.

Speaker 1 I'll tell the story twice,

Speaker 1 and I'll go a little slower

Speaker 1 the second time through.

Speaker 1 Our story tonight is called WALK

Speaker 1 and it's a story about a little brown dog and his favorite outdoor activity.

Speaker 1 It's also about the smell of watered lawns in the evening, a frisbee

Speaker 1 and friends from down the block, porch lights and watermelon, and the moment when you close the door on the day.

Speaker 1 So, lights out, campers.

Speaker 1 Tuck yourself in

Speaker 1 and let your whole body relax.

Speaker 1 You are about to fall asleep,

Speaker 1 and you will sleep deep

Speaker 1 all night.

Speaker 1 Draw a deep breath in

Speaker 1 and sigh it out

Speaker 1 one more breathe in

Speaker 1 and let it out

Speaker 1 Good

Speaker 1 W A L K

Speaker 1 We'd just finished dinner.

Speaker 1 I was still sitting at the table on the back patio,

Speaker 1 leaning back in my chair,

Speaker 1 with my hand resting on my full belly.

Speaker 1 We'd had corn on the cob,

Speaker 1 veggie burgers with all the fixings,

Speaker 1 and tiny potatoes we'd cooked right on the grill

Speaker 1 and tossed with herbs and olive oil.

Speaker 1 We had a watermelon ripe and ready to cut,

Speaker 1 but I think both of us were too full to do more than look at it right now.

Speaker 1 Birdie, our greyhound,

Speaker 1 was lying under the table

Speaker 1 with his long flank resting on my foot.

Speaker 1 Often when we ate,

Speaker 1 he stretched out under the legs of our chairs. By now he'd trained us to be careful before we stood up.

Speaker 1 I think it was his gentle way of

Speaker 1 keeping track of us.

Speaker 1 He'd have a paw touching his dad's ankle,

Speaker 1 his hip touching mine,

Speaker 1 and that way he knew,

Speaker 1 even as he slept,

Speaker 1 that we were close.

Speaker 1 Crum,

Speaker 1 his smaller and scruffier brother, was another story.

Speaker 1 He spent most of dinner jumping and fussing,

Speaker 1 trying to get our attention with each bite,

Speaker 1 Just in case, you know, we'd forgotten he was there and were interested in handing over a bit of the burger, a few of those crispy potatoes,

Speaker 1 or the last bite of the bun.

Speaker 1 We didn't feed him from the table,

Speaker 1 or

Speaker 1 at least I didn't.

Speaker 1 So I don't know where he could have learned such behavior.

Speaker 1 And to night he was particularly revved up.

Speaker 1 We'd both had busy days, and he'd missed his morning walk.

Speaker 1 His dad was carrying plates into the house,

Speaker 1 and I could hear the sink filling up with water.

Speaker 1 As he came back for the last few dishes,

Speaker 1 he leaned close to my ear and said

Speaker 1 I think

Speaker 1 he might want to go for a

Speaker 1 Don't say it, I whispered hurriedly.

Speaker 1 He cleared his throat

Speaker 1 For a WALK

Speaker 1 We both looked at Crum,

Speaker 1 who was watching us intently,

Speaker 1 his head tipped to one side.

Speaker 1 I don't think we were actually fooling him.

Speaker 1 He knew just from the words, go for a,

Speaker 1 that his favorite activity was being discussed.

Speaker 1 We had various strategies for speaking about it in ways

Speaker 1 we hoped wouldn't turn him into a lamp knocking over,

Speaker 1 screen door ripping, mom and dad tripping, tornado.

Speaker 1 We sometimes called it

Speaker 1 his daily constitutional

Speaker 1 or

Speaker 1 perambulation time

Speaker 1 or simply a W.

Speaker 1 But he often cottoned on to us as he seemed to now.

Speaker 1 He'd sprung to his feet

Speaker 1 and was sweeping his tail back and forth wildly behind him.

Speaker 1 His eyes were wide,

Speaker 1 and he kept switching his gaze from one to the other of us,

Speaker 1 waiting to see

Speaker 1 who was going to get up and put their shoes on.

Speaker 1 Okay, Crumbleberry, I said,

Speaker 1 clapping my hands onto my thighs and standing up.

Speaker 1 We'll go.

Speaker 1 I figured I may as well let him get excited out here, since there weren't any lamps to knock over.

Speaker 1 I had to carefully wiggle my foot out from under Birdie,

Speaker 1 who I knew would much rather snooze the evening away

Speaker 1 than lope down the sidewalk with Crum and me.

Speaker 1 I scanned the windows

Speaker 1 looking for our cat marmalade

Speaker 1 and finally noticed a bundle of orange fur pressed against the screen in our bedroom.

Speaker 1 She too was well into her post-dinner nap.

Speaker 1 I turned to go in the house for shoes and the leash

Speaker 1 when the screen slid back

Speaker 1 and they were pushed into my hands.

Speaker 1 I chuckled, knowing this was as much a courtesy to me as it was a way to keep crumb out from under his feet while he did the dishes.

Speaker 1 This way we could go straight through the garden gate

Speaker 1 and out onto the street.

Speaker 1 I guess he sure told us, didn't he, Crum?

Speaker 1 I said as I stepped into my shoes and clipped the leash in place.

Speaker 1 Crumb responded by turning and pulling me with all his force over to the gate.

Speaker 1 And a few moments later, we were out on the sidewalk, taking in the evening air together.

Speaker 1 And the air did smell good tonight,

Speaker 1 that sweet summer freshness

Speaker 1 of watered lawns and flower gardens.

Speaker 1 As Crumbs sniffed through the grass,

Speaker 1 I drew deep lungfuls of it in

Speaker 1 and sighed it out.

Speaker 1 Crumb and I had walked these streets so many times together.

Speaker 1 Years of early spring,

Speaker 1 ripe summer,

Speaker 1 and chilly fall trips around the neighborhood.

Speaker 1 I smiled to myself as I watched his confident confident little trot.

Speaker 1 The tips of his ears bounced with each step,

Speaker 1 and he held his head high.

Speaker 1 I did the same.

Speaker 1 Even when I thought I was too tired for a walk,

Speaker 1 usually

Speaker 1 within the first hundred steps, I'd start to feel my mood rising.

Speaker 1 And tonight was no exception.

Speaker 1 We turned a corner and spotted a familiar group coming our way.

Speaker 1 Crumb began to pull at the leash,

Speaker 1 excited to meet up with his friends.

Speaker 1 Clover,

Speaker 1 a sweet golden retriever,

Speaker 1 who was just starting to show some gray on her face,

Speaker 1 and her little brother Crimson,

Speaker 1 an Irish setter pup

Speaker 1 with beautiful red fur,

Speaker 1 were striding toward us with their two boys.

Speaker 1 Crimson was growing so fast.

Speaker 1 He'd been closer to crumb size the last time we'd seen him.

Speaker 1 But now he was almost as big as Clover,

Speaker 1 and his ears were long and droopy.

Speaker 1 He had a long nose as well,

Speaker 1 that he still looked to be growing into.

Speaker 1 When the dogs got close enough,

Speaker 1 they began to sniff

Speaker 1 and drop into play boughs

Speaker 1 and bark.

Speaker 1 Clover sat down, panting slightly,

Speaker 1 while the younger pups circled each other.

Speaker 1 I noticed one of the boys had a frisbee in his hand,

Speaker 1 and I asked if they were heading to the park.

Speaker 1 The younger brother,

Speaker 1 who usually didn't talk much,

Speaker 1 seemed to have grown out of his shyness

Speaker 1 because he spoke right up

Speaker 1 to tell me that they were.

Speaker 1 But first, um they were going to their aunt's house to see if she wanted to go too and also she has ice cream bars in her fridge.

Speaker 1 Smart plan, I said,

Speaker 1 and let them go on their way.

Speaker 1 Crumb and Crimson had to be coaxed apart

Speaker 1 and I promised I'd bring him around to their yard on Saturday for a play date.

Speaker 1 We turned another corner and I could start to feel Crumb slowing down.

Speaker 1 The desperate energy he'd started with was mellowing into a relaxed pace.

Speaker 1 And he paused to leisurely sniff more deeply.

Speaker 1 The porch light was on when we climbed the front steps,

Speaker 1 and Marmalade met us, meowing at the door.

Speaker 1 I brought him back, Marmie, I said,

Speaker 1 as I unclipped his leash and eased out of my shoes.

Speaker 1 From the kitchen I could hear the clink of dishes being put away

Speaker 1 and the click of Birdie's toenails on the tile.

Speaker 1 Crumb raced off to lap at his water bowl,

Speaker 1 and I sighed and paused before closing the door,

Speaker 1 looking out on our quiet street,

Speaker 1 the lit windows of our neighbors,

Speaker 1 and the long shadows on the lawns.

Speaker 1 Good night, everyone,

Speaker 1 I thought.

Speaker 1 W

Speaker 1 A L K

Speaker 1 We'd just finished dinner.

Speaker 1 I was still sitting at the table on the back patio,

Speaker 1 leaning back in my chair,

Speaker 1 with my hand

Speaker 1 resting on my full belly.

Speaker 1 We'd had corn on the cob,

Speaker 1 veggie burgers with all the fixings,

Speaker 1 and tiny potatoes we'd cooked right on the grill

Speaker 1 and tossed with herbs and olive oil.

Speaker 1 And we had a watermelon,

Speaker 1 ripe

Speaker 1 and ready to cut.

Speaker 1 But I think both of us were too full

Speaker 1 to do more than look at it right now.

Speaker 1 Birdie,

Speaker 1 our greyhound,

Speaker 1 was lying under the table,

Speaker 1 with his long flank

Speaker 1 resting on my foot.

Speaker 1 Often when we ate,

Speaker 1 he stretched out under the legs of our chairs.

Speaker 1 By now

Speaker 1 he'd trained us to be careful before we stood up.

Speaker 1 I think it was

Speaker 1 his gentle way of keeping track of us.

Speaker 1 He'd have a paw touching his dad's ankle,

Speaker 1 his hip touching mine,

Speaker 1 and that way he knew, even as he slept,

Speaker 1 that we were close.

Speaker 1 Crum,

Speaker 1 his smaller and scruffier brother,

Speaker 1 was another story.

Speaker 1 He spent most of dinner jumping and fussing,

Speaker 1 trying to get our attention with each bite.

Speaker 1 Just in case, you know,

Speaker 1 we'd forgotten he was there

Speaker 1 and were interested

Speaker 1 in handing over a bit of the burger,

Speaker 1 a few of those crispy potatoes,

Speaker 1 or the last bite of the bun.

Speaker 1 We didn't feed him from the table,

Speaker 1 or

Speaker 1 at least I didn't.

Speaker 1 So

Speaker 1 I don't know where

Speaker 1 he could have learned such behavior.

Speaker 1 And tonight he was particularly revved up.

Speaker 1 We'd both had busy days,

Speaker 1 and he'd missed his morning walk.

Speaker 1 His dad was carrying plates

Speaker 1 into the house,

Speaker 1 and I could hear the sink filling up with water.

Speaker 1 As he came back for the last few dishes

Speaker 1 he leaned close to my ear and said

Speaker 1 I think

Speaker 1 he might want to go for a don't say it

Speaker 1 I whispered hurriedly.

Speaker 1 He cleared his throat.

Speaker 1 For a

Speaker 1 W A L K.

Speaker 1 We both looked at Crum,

Speaker 1 who was watching us intently.

Speaker 1 His head tipped to one side.

Speaker 1 I don't think we were actually fooling him.

Speaker 1 He knew just from the words go for a

Speaker 1 that his favorite activity was being discussed.

Speaker 1 We had various strategies for speaking about it in ways we hoped

Speaker 1 wouldn't turn him

Speaker 1 into a lamp knocking over,

Speaker 1 screen door ripping,

Speaker 1 mom and dad tripping,

Speaker 1 tornado.

Speaker 1 Sometimes we called it

Speaker 1 his daily constitutional

Speaker 1 or

Speaker 1 perambulation time

Speaker 1 or simply a W.

Speaker 1 But he often cottoned on to us

Speaker 1 as he seemed to now.

Speaker 1 He'd sprung sprung to his feet

Speaker 1 and was sweeping his tail

Speaker 1 back and forth wildly behind him.

Speaker 1 His eyes were wide,

Speaker 1 and he kept switching his gaze

Speaker 1 from one

Speaker 1 to the other of us,

Speaker 1 waiting to see

Speaker 1 who was going to get up and put their shoes on.

Speaker 1 Okay,

Speaker 1 Crumbleberry, I said,

Speaker 1 clapping my hands onto my thighs and standing up,

Speaker 1 we will go.

Speaker 1 I figured I may as well let him get excited out here,

Speaker 1 since there weren't any lamps to knock over

Speaker 1 I had to carefully wiggle one foot

Speaker 1 out from under Birdie

Speaker 1 who I knew would much rather snooze the evening away

Speaker 1 Than lope down the sidewalk with Crum

Speaker 1 and me.

Speaker 1 I scanned the windows

Speaker 1 looking for our cat, marmalade,

Speaker 1 and finally noticed a bundle of orange fur

Speaker 1 pressed against the screen in our bedroom.

Speaker 1 She, too,

Speaker 1 was well into her post-dinner nap.

Speaker 1 I turned to go in the house

Speaker 1 for shoes

Speaker 1 and the leash.

Speaker 1 When the screen slid back

Speaker 1 and they were pushed into my hands,

Speaker 1 I chuckled,

Speaker 1 knowing this was

Speaker 1 as much a courtesy to me

Speaker 1 as it was a way to keep Crum

Speaker 1 out from under his feet while he did the dishes.

Speaker 1 This way we could go straight through the garden gate

Speaker 1 and out onto the street.

Speaker 1 I guess he sure told us,

Speaker 1 didn't he, Crum?

Speaker 1 I said

Speaker 1 as I stepped into my shoes and clipped the leash in place.

Speaker 1 Crumb responded by turning and pulling me with all his force

Speaker 1 over to the gate.

Speaker 1 And a few moments later,

Speaker 1 we were out on the sidewalk,

Speaker 1 taking in the evening air together.

Speaker 1 And the air did smell good tonight.

Speaker 1 That sweet

Speaker 1 summer freshness

Speaker 1 of watered lawns

Speaker 1 and flower gardens.

Speaker 1 As Crumbs sniffed through the grass,

Speaker 1 I drew deep lungfuls of it in

Speaker 1 and sighed it out.

Speaker 1 Crum and I

Speaker 1 had walked these streets

Speaker 1 so many times together.

Speaker 1 Years of early spring,

Speaker 1 ripe summer,

Speaker 1 and chilly fall trips around the neighborhood.

Speaker 1 I smiled to myself

Speaker 1 as I watched his confident little trot.

Speaker 1 The tips of his ears bounced with each step

Speaker 1 and he held his head high.

Speaker 1 I did the same.

Speaker 1 Even when I thought

Speaker 1 I was too tired for a walk,

Speaker 1 Usually, within the first hundred steps,

Speaker 1 I'd start to feel my mood rising.

Speaker 1 Tonight was no exception.

Speaker 1 We turned a corner

Speaker 1 and spotted a familiar group coming our way.

Speaker 1 Crumb began to pull at the leash,

Speaker 1 excited to meet up with his friends.

Speaker 1 Clover,

Speaker 1 a sweet golden retriever,

Speaker 1 who was just starting to show some gray on her face

Speaker 1 And her little brother Crimson,

Speaker 1 an Irish setter pup

Speaker 1 with beautiful red fur

Speaker 1 were striding toward us

Speaker 1 with their two boys.

Speaker 1 Crimson was growing so fast

Speaker 1 He'd been closer to crumb size

Speaker 1 the last time we'd seen him

Speaker 1 But now he was almost as big as Clover,

Speaker 1 and his ears were long and droopy.

Speaker 1 He had a long nose as well

Speaker 1 that he was still growing into.

Speaker 1 When the dogs got close enough,

Speaker 1 they began to sniff and drop playbows and bark.

Speaker 1 Clover sat down, panting slightly,

Speaker 1 while the younger pups circled each other.

Speaker 1 I noticed one of the boys had a frisbee in his hand,

Speaker 1 and I asked if they were heading to the park.

Speaker 1 The younger brother,

Speaker 1 who usually didn't talk much,

Speaker 1 seemed to have grown out of his shyness

Speaker 1 because he spoke right up to tell me

Speaker 1 they were,

Speaker 1 but first,

Speaker 1 um,

Speaker 1 they were going to their aunt's house to see if she wanted to go too,

Speaker 1 and also she has ice cream bars in her fridge.

Speaker 1 Smart plan, I said,

Speaker 1 and let them go on their way.

Speaker 1 Crumb and Crimson

Speaker 1 had to be coaxed apart,

Speaker 1 and I promised I'd bring him around to their yard on Saturday for a play date.

Speaker 1 We turned another corner,

Speaker 1 and I could start to feel Crum

Speaker 1 slowing down.

Speaker 1 The desperate energy he'd started with

Speaker 1 was mellowing into a relaxed base.

Speaker 1 And he paused to leisurely sniff more deeply.

Speaker 1 The porch light was on

Speaker 1 when we climbed the front steps,

Speaker 1 and Marmalade met us,

Speaker 1 meowing at the door.

Speaker 1 I brought him back, Marmie, I said,

Speaker 1 as I unclipped his leash

Speaker 1 and eased out of my shoes.

Speaker 1 From the kitchen I could hear the clink of dishes being put away

Speaker 1 and the click of Birdie's toenails on the tile.

Speaker 1 Crumb raced off to lap at his water bowl

Speaker 1 And I sighed

Speaker 1 and paused before closing the door

Speaker 1 Looking out on our quiet street

Speaker 1 The lit windows of our neighbors

Speaker 1 And the long shadows on the lawns.

Speaker 1 Good night, everyone,

Speaker 1 I thought.

Speaker 1 Sweet dreams.