Pool Day

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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 create everything you hear on Nothing Much Happens.

Speaker 1 Audio Engineering is by Bob Wittersheim.

Speaker 1 We give to a different charity each week and this week we are giving to Footprint Project.

Speaker 1 Their work is to provide cleaner energy for communities in crisis.

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

Speaker 1 Hey, did you know we recently made an episode of our daytime podcast, Stories from the Village of Nothing Much,

Speaker 1 that featured listeners' voices? They played parts like Marmalade's Mom, Crumb's Dad, the Cool Aunt, and Her Nephew. Wish you could have played along?

Speaker 1 Well, give us a follow over on Instagram. We have more community projects in the works and we want to include you.

Speaker 1 And as always, please consider becoming a premium subscriber. A dime a day,

Speaker 1 so many benefits. Everything's in our notes at nothingmuchhappens.com.

Speaker 1 Okay,

Speaker 1 so here's how this works.

Speaker 1 And we know it works after nearly 200 million downloads. We've figured out how to do this.

Speaker 1 Just by listening to the story I have for you,

Speaker 1 you'll shift your brain activity

Speaker 1 away from the constantly spiraling default mode

Speaker 1 and into the sleep-accessible task-positive mode.

Speaker 1 You don't need to understand any of that for it to work.

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

Speaker 1 If you wake again in the night,

Speaker 1 don't hesitate to turn another story on.

Speaker 1 It'll help you go right back to sleep.

Speaker 1 Our story tonight is called Pool Day.

Speaker 1 And it's a story about a cool dip in the water on a hot summer day.

Speaker 1 It's also about the tiled walls of the changing rooms, broad open umbrellas and rows of lounge chairs, a book by your side, droplets on your skin,

Speaker 1 and the heavy sleep that swallows you up after a day in the sun and water.

Speaker 1 It's time.

Speaker 1 The day is done, done,

Speaker 1 and you have done all that you needed to.

Speaker 1 You are right now

Speaker 1 just where you are supposed to be.

Speaker 1 So let go.

Speaker 1 It's okay. Let go.

Speaker 1 I'll take the next watch.

Speaker 1 Draw a deep breath in through your nose

Speaker 1 and sigh from your mouth.

Speaker 1 Nice.

Speaker 1 Again, breathe in.

Speaker 1 Let it out with sound.

Speaker 1 Good.

Speaker 1 Pool day.

Speaker 1 It was the place to be to day

Speaker 1 on a hot, late summer day,

Speaker 1 one with a cloudless sky and almost too much sun.

Speaker 1 The village pool

Speaker 1 was calling my name.

Speaker 1 I walked up the path to the gate,

Speaker 1 my beach bag slung over my shoulders,

Speaker 1 and my flip-flops slapping against the concrete.

Speaker 1 I could hear a few voices calling out Marco

Speaker 1 and Polo,

Speaker 1 the riffling sound of umbrella fabric in the breeze,

Speaker 1 and the almost audible hum of heat in the atmosphere.

Speaker 1 The gate creaked a bit as I lifted the latch and walked through,

Speaker 1 and I fumbled in my bag for my sun hat

Speaker 1 clapping it onto my head and sighing with the relief of shade over my eyes

Speaker 1 and the sweet sight of the village pool

Speaker 1 with plenty of open lounge chairs

Speaker 1 and shady spots to stretch out in.

Speaker 1 I've been coming here since I was in water wings.

Speaker 1 In fact,

Speaker 1 I'd taken swim classes in the shallow end

Speaker 1 and learned just enough about diving to avoid belly flops on the board.

Speaker 1 It was a large rectangular pool

Speaker 1 with faded painted lines on the concrete surround.

Speaker 1 a tall lifeguard's chair,

Speaker 1 a snack bar and changing rooms

Speaker 1 that all added up to one of my favorite places

Speaker 1 to spend a summer day.

Speaker 1 I strolled down the side of the pool,

Speaker 1 watching a few people on floats

Speaker 1 and inner tubes,

Speaker 1 enjoying the sun and cool water.

Speaker 1 I've always been tickled by the fact that

Speaker 1 when we are out in the sun,

Speaker 1 at the beach,

Speaker 1 or by the pool,

Speaker 1 we recognize

Speaker 1 that we are going to need to lie down.

Speaker 1 Even folks who struggle to relax and rest

Speaker 1 will almost always surrender to the urge to be horizontal

Speaker 1 when under the sun and near the water.

Speaker 1 And I

Speaker 1 was not a person who struggled to relax.

Speaker 1 I rather hoped we could extend the custom to more places

Speaker 1 loungers at the lanes,

Speaker 1 trundle beds at the train station,

Speaker 1 cots at the cafe.

Speaker 1 I hoped it would be the wave of the future.

Speaker 1 Speaking of waves,

Speaker 1 a swimmer breaststroking through a lane at the far end of the pool was hardly making any,

Speaker 1 and I was impressed.

Speaker 1 Well, I could certainly swim a few laps,

Speaker 1 tread water when needed,

Speaker 1 and sometimes float stretched out on my back.

Speaker 1 I didn't have good form.

Speaker 1 I didn't even know what it was and wasn't.

Speaker 1 The swimmer flipped in the water as he came to the wall,

Speaker 1 pushed off and started another lap.

Speaker 1 I thought it must be

Speaker 1 a meditative kind of movement,

Speaker 1 the rhythm that would build

Speaker 1 as he worked back and forth across the pool,

Speaker 1 creating

Speaker 1 a calm inner space.

Speaker 1 The lounge chairs were set out in rows,

Speaker 1 with plenty of umbrellas scattered among them.

Speaker 1 And I settled my bag onto one in a quiet, empty section.

Speaker 1 The umbrella nearby was still closed,

Speaker 1 and I took a few moments to crank it open

Speaker 1 and tilt it until my chair was well shaded.

Speaker 1 My bag held a paper bag,

Speaker 1 a mystery that I'd found in the little library on my corner the week before.

Speaker 1 I'd fallen asleep reading it in bed

Speaker 1 and planned to do exactly the same thing

Speaker 1 on this lounge chair.

Speaker 1 But first, I needed a couple of towels.

Speaker 1 I stashed my flip-flops under the chair and headed toward the cabana.

Speaker 1 It was a squat, square building with changing rooms on either side

Speaker 1 and a towel desk in the front.

Speaker 1 The changing rooms were surprisingly beautiful,

Speaker 1 and I remembered being amazed by them when I was a child.

Speaker 1 They had high windows

Speaker 1 and let aquacolored light in,

Speaker 1 and along the walls and floors were tile mosaics

Speaker 1 showing fish

Speaker 1 and mermaids

Speaker 1 and fountains overflowing with sparkling water.

Speaker 1 Although I already had my swimsuit on under my sundress,

Speaker 1 I still poked my head in

Speaker 1 just to admire the tiles

Speaker 1 and listen to the way the voices from outside

Speaker 1 echoed against the walls.

Speaker 1 I grabbed two giant towels from the booth and made my way back around the pool.

Speaker 1 The cement under my feet was hotter than I expected.

Speaker 1 But I sort of enjoyed the way it tingled against my soles.

Speaker 1 The idea of a swim was sounding better by the minute.

Speaker 1 I dropped my towels off on my chair

Speaker 1 and slipped out of my dress,

Speaker 1 hanging it from a spoke of the umbrella.

Speaker 1 My steps grew more hurried on the hot walkways

Speaker 1 as I made my way back to the pool

Speaker 1 and I heard a voice in my head

Speaker 1 that had been well planted from childhood say,

Speaker 1 No running by the pool.

Speaker 1 I chuckled and went carefully.

Speaker 1 The pool had a sun shelf,

Speaker 1 with a series of wide steps leading in at one corner,

Speaker 1 and several ladders here and there.

Speaker 1 I decided on the stairs,

Speaker 1 and that first step in was heavenly.

Speaker 1 The water was cool and refreshing, and suddenly I wanted to be surrounded by it.

Speaker 1 Step by step,

Speaker 1 I plunged forward until I was up to my shoulders.

Speaker 1 The way the coolness spread through my whole body.

Speaker 1 From my first swim as a kid to this one,

Speaker 1 and every dip in between.

Speaker 1 It never got old.

Speaker 1 It always felt

Speaker 1 so good.

Speaker 1 I sighed,

Speaker 1 happy and grateful

Speaker 1 for this resource I knew not every community had.

Speaker 1 I dove under and pulled myself through the water,

Speaker 1 broke the surface,

Speaker 1 and flipped onto my back,

Speaker 1 kicking my feet

Speaker 1 and taking lazy backstrokes.

Speaker 1 I remembered staying in the water

Speaker 1 so long when I was young that my fingers turned pruny,

Speaker 1 my hair turned green at the tips,

Speaker 1 and when I'd finally been pried out for the night,

Speaker 1 I could feel a bit of water in my chest with every deep breath.

Speaker 1 For now, I'd had enough. I was refreshed and ready for my lounge chair.

Speaker 1 I swam to the ladder and reached up,

Speaker 1 feeling the warm aluminum under my hands.

Speaker 1 I pulled myself up

Speaker 1 and climbed out onto the pool deck.

Speaker 1 There is a scent,

Speaker 1 pool water on concrete,

Speaker 1 and it bloomed under me as I walked.

Speaker 1 At my chair, I stopped to apply a bit more sunscreen

Speaker 1 and arrange my towels,

Speaker 1 one long under my body,

Speaker 1 and one rolled to support my head,

Speaker 1 and settle down in in the shade.

Speaker 1 What a feeling

Speaker 1 that pleasant fatigue from the heat,

Speaker 1 the coolness of the droplets

Speaker 1 still on my skin,

Speaker 1 the scent of my sunscreen,

Speaker 1 and the sound of the water

Speaker 1 lapping at the pool's edge.

Speaker 1 I set my book at my side,

Speaker 1 let my damp palm rest on the cover,

Speaker 1 and closed my eyes.

Speaker 1 I knew

Speaker 1 I was about to fall asleep.

Speaker 1 I could feel it coming like a ball rolling downhill,

Speaker 1 picking up momentum,

Speaker 1 about to carry me off.

Speaker 1 I had a fleeting thought

Speaker 1 of going to the snack bar when I woke up,

Speaker 1 sliding open the door

Speaker 1 on their big ice cream cooler,

Speaker 1 and leaning in to find a red twin popsicle.

Speaker 1 later

Speaker 1 right now,

Speaker 1 I would just drift away

Speaker 1 pool day

Speaker 1 It was the place to be today

Speaker 1 on a hot late summer day

Speaker 1 One with a cloudless sky

Speaker 1 and almost too much sun

Speaker 1 the village pool

Speaker 1 was calling my name

Speaker 1 I walked up the path to the gate

Speaker 1 my beach bag slung over my shoulder

Speaker 1 and my flip-flops slapping against the concrete

Speaker 1 I could hear a few voices

Speaker 1 calling out Marco

Speaker 1 and Polo

Speaker 1 The riffling sound of umbrella fabric in the breeze

Speaker 1 And the almost audible hum of heat in the atmosphere

Speaker 1 The gate creaked a bit

Speaker 1 as I lifted the latch and walked through

Speaker 1 and I fumbled in my bag for my sun hat,

Speaker 1 clapping it onto my head

Speaker 1 and sighing with the relief of shade over my eyes

Speaker 1 and and the sweet sight of the village pool

Speaker 1 with plenty of open lounge chairs

Speaker 1 and shady spots to stretch out in.

Speaker 1 I've been coming here since I was in water wings.

Speaker 1 In fact,

Speaker 1 I'd taken swim classes in the shallow end

Speaker 1 and learned just enough about diving

Speaker 1 to avoid belly flops on the board.

Speaker 1 It was a large rectangular pool

Speaker 1 with faded painted lines

Speaker 1 on the concrete surround,

Speaker 1 a tall lifeguard's chair,

Speaker 1 a snack bar,

Speaker 1 and changing rooms

Speaker 1 that added up to one of my favorite places

Speaker 1 to spend a summer day.

Speaker 1 I strolled down the side of the pool,

Speaker 1 watching a few people on floats

Speaker 1 and inner tubes,

Speaker 1 enjoying the sun and cool water,

Speaker 1 and began my hunt

Speaker 1 for the perfect spot.

Speaker 1 I've always been tickled

Speaker 1 by the fact that

Speaker 1 when we are out in the sun

Speaker 1 at the beach

Speaker 1 or by the pool,

Speaker 1 we all recognize that

Speaker 1 we are going to need to lie down.

Speaker 1 Even folks who struggle to relax and rest

Speaker 1 will almost always surrender

Speaker 1 to the urge to be horizontal

Speaker 1 when under the sun

Speaker 1 and near the water.

Speaker 1 And I was not a person who struggled to relax.

Speaker 1 I rather hoped

Speaker 1 we could extend the custom

Speaker 1 to more places,

Speaker 1 loungers at the lanes,

Speaker 1 trundle beds at the train station,

Speaker 1 cots at the

Speaker 1 I hoped it would be the wave of the future.

Speaker 1 Speaking of waves,

Speaker 1 a swimmer breaststroking through a lane

Speaker 1 at the far end of the pool

Speaker 1 was hardly making any,

Speaker 1 and I was impressed.

Speaker 1 Well, I could certainly swim a few laps,

Speaker 1 tread water when needed,

Speaker 1 and sometimes float stretched out on my back.

Speaker 1 I didn't have good form,

Speaker 1 didn't even know

Speaker 1 what it was and wasn't.

Speaker 1 The swimmer flipped in the water

Speaker 1 as he came to the wall,

Speaker 1 pushed off and started another lap.

Speaker 1 I thought it must be a meditative

Speaker 1 kind of movement

Speaker 1 the rhythm that would build up

Speaker 1 as you worked

Speaker 1 back and forth across the pool,

Speaker 1 creating

Speaker 1 a calm

Speaker 1 inner space.

Speaker 1 The lounge chairs were set out in rows

Speaker 1 with plenty of umbrellas

Speaker 1 scattered among them

Speaker 1 and I settled my bag onto one

Speaker 1 in a quiet, empty section.

Speaker 1 The umbrella nearby was still closed,

Speaker 1 and it took a few moments to crank it open

Speaker 1 and tilt it

Speaker 1 until my chair was well shaded.

Speaker 1 My bag held a paperback,

Speaker 1 a mystery that

Speaker 1 I'd found in the little library on my corner the week before.

Speaker 1 I'd fallen asleep reading it in bed

Speaker 1 and planned to do exactly the same thing

Speaker 1 on this lounge chair.

Speaker 1 But first,

Speaker 1 I needed a couple of towels.

Speaker 1 I stashed my flip flops under the chair and headed toward the cabana.

Speaker 1 It was a squat, square building,

Speaker 1 with changing rooms on either side

Speaker 1 and a towel desk in the front.

Speaker 1 The changing rooms were surprisingly beautiful,

Speaker 1 and I remembered being amazed by them when I was a child.

Speaker 1 They had high windows that let aquacolored light in,

Speaker 1 and along the walls and floors

Speaker 1 were tile mosaics

Speaker 1 showing fish

Speaker 1 and mermaids

Speaker 1 and fountains overflowing with sparkling water.

Speaker 1 Although I already had my swimsuit on under my sundress,

Speaker 1 I still poked my head in

Speaker 1 just to admire the tiles

Speaker 1 and listen to the way the voices from outside

Speaker 1 echoed against the walls.

Speaker 1 I grabbed two giant towels from the booth

Speaker 1 and made my way back around the pool.

Speaker 1 The cement under my feet was hotter than I expected,

Speaker 1 but I sort of enjoyed the way

Speaker 1 it tingled against my souls.

Speaker 1 The idea of a swim

Speaker 1 was sounding better by the minute.

Speaker 1 I dropped my towels off

Speaker 1 on my chair

Speaker 1 and slipped out of my dress,

Speaker 1 hanging it from a spoke of the umbrella.

Speaker 1 My steps grew more hurried

Speaker 1 on the hot walkways,

Speaker 1 and I heard a voice in my head

Speaker 1 that had been planted from childhood,

Speaker 1 saying,

Speaker 1 No running by the pool.

Speaker 1 I chuckled and went carefully.

Speaker 1 The pool had a sun shelf,

Speaker 1 with a series of wide steps

Speaker 1 leading in at one corner,

Speaker 1 and several ladders here and there.

Speaker 1 I decided on the stairs,

Speaker 1 and that first step in

Speaker 1 was heavenly.

Speaker 1 The water was cool and refreshing,

Speaker 1 and suddenly I wanted to be surrounded by it.

Speaker 1 Step by step, I plunged forward

Speaker 1 until I was up to my shoulders.

Speaker 1 The way the coolness

Speaker 1 spread through my body

Speaker 1 from my first swim as a kid

Speaker 1 to this one

Speaker 1 and every dip in between

Speaker 1 it never got old

Speaker 1 It always felt so good

Speaker 1 I sighed

Speaker 1 happy and grateful

Speaker 1 for this resource I knew not every community had.

Speaker 1 I dove under

Speaker 1 and pulled myself through the water,

Speaker 1 broke the surface

Speaker 1 and flipped onto my back,

Speaker 1 kicking my feet and taking lazy back strokes.

Speaker 1 I thought of the times

Speaker 1 when I was young

Speaker 1 that I'd stayed in the water so long

Speaker 1 that my fingers turned pruny,

Speaker 1 my hair turned green at the tips,

Speaker 1 and when I'd finally been pried out for the night

Speaker 1 I could feel a bit of water rattling in my chest with every breath.

Speaker 1 For now, I'd had enough.

Speaker 1 I was refreshed

Speaker 1 and ready for my lounge chair.

Speaker 1 I swam to a ladder

Speaker 1 and reached up,

Speaker 1 feeling the warm aluminum under my hands.

Speaker 1 I pulled myself up,

Speaker 1 climbed out onto the pool deck.

Speaker 1 There's a scent,

Speaker 1 so familiar, pool water on concrete,

Speaker 1 and it bloomed under me as I walked.

Speaker 1 At my chair I stopped to apply

Speaker 1 a bit more sunscreen

Speaker 1 and arrange my towels

Speaker 1 one

Speaker 1 long under my body

Speaker 1 and one rolled to support my head

Speaker 1 and settled down in the shade

Speaker 1 what a feeling

Speaker 1 that pleasant fatigue from the heat,

Speaker 1 the coolness of the droplets still on my skin,

Speaker 1 the scent of my sunscreen,

Speaker 1 and the sound of the water

Speaker 1 lapping at the pool's edge.

Speaker 1 I set my book at my side,

Speaker 1 let my damp palm rest on the cover,

Speaker 1 and closed my eyes.

Speaker 1 I knew

Speaker 1 I was about

Speaker 1 to fall asleep.

Speaker 1 I could feel it coming

Speaker 1 like a ball rolling downhill,

Speaker 1 picking up momentum

Speaker 1 about to carry me off.

Speaker 1 I had a fleeting thought

Speaker 1 of going to the snack bar when I woke up,

Speaker 1 sliding open the door on their big ice cream cooler,

Speaker 1 and leaning in to find a red twin popsicle.

Speaker 1 Later,

Speaker 1 right now

Speaker 1 I would just

Speaker 1 drift

Speaker 1 away

Speaker 1 sweet dreams.