Cloud Club

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Speaker 1 when i first started this podcast i thought i had to figure it all out by myself recording setups logos schedules even the business side of things it was overwhelming Every time I crossed one thing off my list, two more things popped up.

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Speaker 1 Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world, powering 10% of all e-commerce in the U.S. Household names like Mattel and Gymshark use it.

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Speaker 1 Let's take a deep breath together. In through the nose

Speaker 1 and out through the mouth.

Speaker 1 It feels good to breathe deeply.

Speaker 1 And the air we breathe, especially at night, matters more than we might think.

Speaker 1 While we sleep, our bodies are hard at work, restoring, repairing, and recharging. But that work can be quietly disrupted by what's floating in the air, things like dust, pollen, and other allergens.

Speaker 1 I didn't used to think much about indoor air quality, but once I did, I realized, if we care about what we eat and drink, why not care just as much about what we breathe?

Speaker 1 That's why I sleep with a Jasper air scrubber in my room. It has no annoying lights and doubles as a gentle white noise machine that's become essential to my bedtime rhythm.

Speaker 1 But more than anything, it's turned my bedroom into a sleep sanctuary. A space where the air helps me sleep deeply and peacefully.
I can't recommend Jasper enough.

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Speaker 1 And if you use the code SLEEP, you'll get $300 off.

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Speaker 1 Use code sleep for $300 off.

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 all the stories you hear on Nothing Much Happens.

Speaker 1 Audio Engineering is by Bob Witterchime.

Speaker 1 We give to a different charity each week, and this week we are giving to Elephant Havens.

Speaker 1 Their mission is to protect and preserve the African elephant through habitat protection, community outreach, and the rescue and hand-rearing of young elephant orphans.

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

Speaker 1 For an ad-free and bonus-filled experience, become a premium subscriber. There's a link in our show notes and Apple and Spotify users can just click the handy button right on the show page.

Speaker 1 The first month's on us.

Speaker 1 There is solid science behind how bedtime stories train you to be a better sleeper.

Speaker 1 But it's probably enough just to know that they help you feel good,

Speaker 1 focus in a soft way,

Speaker 1 and relax.

Speaker 1 So just listen.

Speaker 1 Unclench your jaw. Let yourself be ready to 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 later in the night, don't hesitate to turn a story back on,

Speaker 1 and you'll drop right back off.

Speaker 1 Our story tonight is called Cloud Club,

Speaker 1 and it's a story about an afternoon spent stretched out under the open sky. It's also about the friends you've known since you were young.

Speaker 1 A polka-dotted blanket, memories of games played, strawberries and wax paper, mint

Speaker 1 and quiet times in the soft summer air.

Speaker 1 Okay,

Speaker 1 lights out.

Speaker 1 Snuggle down.

Speaker 1 Let everything relax.

Speaker 1 Know that you did enough to day.

Speaker 1 You did.

Speaker 1 And now the world needs nothing from you but your rest.

Speaker 1 Draw a deep breath in through your nose

Speaker 1 and sigh from your mouth.

Speaker 1 Nice. Do it again.
Breathe in

Speaker 1 and let it out with sound.

Speaker 1 Good.

Speaker 1 Cloud Club.

Speaker 1 I was laying out the blanket

Speaker 1 when I stopped to look up

Speaker 1 and noticed a cloud that reminded me of an elephant.

Speaker 1 A rounded, giant shape

Speaker 1 that must have stretched stories tall.

Speaker 1 I watched as it seemed to unfurl its trunk,

Speaker 1 which then broke away

Speaker 1 and became something like a paintbrush

Speaker 1 with a long tapered tip.

Speaker 1 My eyes drifted to the horizon

Speaker 1 where the tops of trees filtered sunlight

Speaker 1 and swayed with the breeze.

Speaker 1 It was an excellent day for Cloud Club.

Speaker 1 I'd forgotten about the blanket.

Speaker 1 It hung limply from one hand.

Speaker 1 I reached down to get a better grip on it,

Speaker 1 then stood tall and flung it out in front of me.

Speaker 1 I did it a few times,

Speaker 1 noticing stray blades of dry grass from our last day out.

Speaker 1 They bounced on the polka-dotted cotton fabric as I tossed it.

Speaker 1 And I remembered a game we used to play in kindergarten.

Speaker 1 All of us kinder in a circle,

Speaker 1 gripping a giant parachute,

Speaker 1 while the teacher tossed balls and bean bags onto the fabric.

Speaker 1 We bounced and shook it,

Speaker 1 pretending they were popcorn kernels, popping in a giant pan.

Speaker 1 My favorite part

Speaker 1 came after all the popcorn had bounced away.

Speaker 1 We'd raise the chute overhead on a signal,

Speaker 1 then turn in place

Speaker 1 and tuck ourselves underneath,

Speaker 1 pulling the edges down tight.

Speaker 1 The fabric puffed into a dome

Speaker 1 and slowly drifted down,

Speaker 1 covering us completely.

Speaker 1 For those five or so seconds,

Speaker 1 it felt like being in another world.

Speaker 1 The light was colored, in my memory,

Speaker 1 a bright orange

Speaker 1 as it shone through the nylon.

Speaker 1 The pressure of the air,

Speaker 1 the sudden hush

Speaker 1 as we watched it billow and fall,

Speaker 1 made for a few magical moments in the middle of gym class.

Speaker 1 I smiled at the gift of that memory

Speaker 1 as I settled the blanket onto the grass.

Speaker 1 Especially since the other two members of Cloud Club

Speaker 1 had stood on either side of me when we'd played that game.

Speaker 1 That's how long we'd been friends.

Speaker 1 I dropped down onto the blanket

Speaker 1 and stretched out onto my stomach,

Speaker 1 letting my feet slip out of my sandals.

Speaker 1 I laid one cheek against the cotton

Speaker 1 and closed my eyes.

Speaker 1 I could feel the blades of grass underneath,

Speaker 1 and with each deep breath,

Speaker 1 felt my belly press into the earth

Speaker 1 and lift away on the exhale.

Speaker 1 The air was thick with the scent of grass and trees,

Speaker 1 not sweet like flowers,

Speaker 1 but full of a vibrant chlorophyll smell

Speaker 1 that radiated from everything growing nearby.

Speaker 1 Whenever Cloud Club meets,

Speaker 1 which is not as regularly as we'd like,

Speaker 1 but as often as we're able,

Speaker 1 there are three jobs,

Speaker 1 three

Speaker 1 duties, if you will, and we rotate rotate through them each time.

Speaker 1 The first duty, which fell to me today,

Speaker 1 was spot finder.

Speaker 1 We needed a place

Speaker 1 to lay out a blanket and watch the clouds roll by.

Speaker 1 It wasn't exactly a rule that the spot had to be new every time,

Speaker 1 but we all enjoyed it more when it was.

Speaker 1 We often met in the village park on the east side of downtown.

Speaker 1 There were lots of good cloud-watching spots.

Speaker 1 In the autumn, we'd head out to the orchards

Speaker 1 where we could smell fresh apples while we reclined.

Speaker 1 Once we'd borrowed my sister's apartment

Speaker 1 just for the access to her rooftop,

Speaker 1 though it turned out too hot,

Speaker 1 and we gave up the clouds for ice cream after 20 minutes.

Speaker 1 Another time, we tried the center of the cross-country track

Speaker 1 while the team was away at a meet.

Speaker 1 That had been interesting.

Speaker 1 But my favorite spots were always the ones furthest from buildings and people,

Speaker 1 where the only sounds were birdsong and cicadas.

Speaker 1 Today we were in a quiet park mostly used by birders,

Speaker 1 a few trails, some benches,

Speaker 1 and a wide stretch of soft sloped land

Speaker 1 ringed by trees.

Speaker 1 The grass was lush,

Speaker 1 and there wasn't another blanket of friends in sight.

Speaker 1 The other two cloud club roles were just as vital

Speaker 1 snack provider and drink chooser.

Speaker 1 Snacks ranged from chips and crackers,

Speaker 1 hummus and crudetes,

Speaker 1 to cookies and rice crispy squares.

Speaker 1 And once, during a chilly December meeting

Speaker 1 that hadn't lasted long but still felt magical in the snow,

Speaker 1 there was a tray of gingerbread.

Speaker 1 We often drank iced tea

Speaker 1 in a range of flavors

Speaker 1 or ginger ale

Speaker 1 chilled to the perfect temperature.

Speaker 1 I wondered what we were in for today

Speaker 1 as I rolled onto my back,

Speaker 1 listening to the dry rustle of the grass beneath me.

Speaker 1 I tucked my hands behind my head,

Speaker 1 crossed one ankle over the other,

Speaker 1 and had just drawn a deep breath

Speaker 1 when I heard one of my friends call out from the path,

Speaker 1 You better not be starting without us.

Speaker 1 My exhale turned into a laugh.

Speaker 1 I propped up on my elbows and saw the other two cloud club members making their way across the meadow.

Speaker 1 I've barely looked at any clouds, I swear, I called back.

Speaker 1 They smiled as they plopped their bags and themselves down beside me.

Speaker 1 Good spot, said one.

Speaker 1 Good spot, agreed the other.

Speaker 1 I sat up, criss cross applesauce,

Speaker 1 just like we learned in kindergarten,

Speaker 1 and waited to be handed a snack and a drink.

Speaker 1 What an absolute joy, I thought,

Speaker 1 to have friends like these.

Speaker 1 People who know you well,

Speaker 1 who you can be quiet

Speaker 1 and unmasked with,

Speaker 1 who feed you,

Speaker 1 water you, enjoy life beside you,

Speaker 1 and don't need much else beyond your company.

Speaker 1 From a basket came the rustle of wax paper,

Speaker 1 and I smelled strawberries.

Speaker 1 Our snack provider had gone with a classic today,

Speaker 1 clearly tuned in to the kindergarten memories

Speaker 1 that had been floating through my own head all day.

Speaker 1 She handed me a good old peanut butter and jelly sandwich,

Speaker 1 soft bread,

Speaker 1 cut on the diagonal,

Speaker 1 wrapped in wax paper

Speaker 1 with a napkin.

Speaker 1 On the other corner of the blanket, and decidedly fancier,

Speaker 1 drinks were made

Speaker 1 with tonic water, lemon slices, and fresh mint.

Speaker 1 Once everything had been passed around,

Speaker 1 we raised our cups and tapped the rims together.

Speaker 1 We would eat and sip and chat a bit

Speaker 1 and stretch out with our heads together and bodies fanned outward

Speaker 1 like a three-pointed star

Speaker 1 to watch the clouds.

Speaker 1 I might mention that there's a name for this hobby, nephology.

Speaker 1 They kindly indulge my need

Speaker 1 to drop fun facts into our outings.

Speaker 1 Eventually, one of us might fall asleep,

Speaker 1 and the afternoon would drift past

Speaker 1 as we recharged together.

Speaker 1 I know we see shapes and clouds

Speaker 1 because our brains are built to search for patterns and meaning.

Speaker 1 But we'd learned to let them

Speaker 1 slide by,

Speaker 1 liminal and unexplained.

Speaker 1 we were content

Speaker 1 just to witness them.

Speaker 1 Cloud Club

Speaker 1 I was laying out the blanket

Speaker 1 when I stopped to look up

Speaker 1 and noticed a cloud

Speaker 1 that reminded me

Speaker 1 of an elephant, elephant,

Speaker 1 a rounded,

Speaker 1 giant shape

Speaker 1 that must have stretched

Speaker 1 stories tall.

Speaker 1 I watched as it seemed to unfurl its trunk,

Speaker 1 which then broke away

Speaker 1 and became something

Speaker 1 like a paintbrush

Speaker 1 with a long, tapered tip.

Speaker 1 My eyes drifted to the horizon,

Speaker 1 where the tops of trees filtered sunlight

Speaker 1 and swayed with the breeze.

Speaker 1 It was an excellent day

Speaker 1 for Cloud Club.

Speaker 1 I'd forgotten all about the blanket.

Speaker 1 It hung limply from one hand.

Speaker 1 I reached down to get a better grip on it,

Speaker 1 then stood tall

Speaker 1 and flung it out in front of me.

Speaker 1 I did it a few times,

Speaker 1 noticing stray blades of dry grass

Speaker 1 from our last stay out.

Speaker 1 They bounced on the polka dotted cotton fabric

Speaker 1 as I tossed it

Speaker 1 and I remembered a game

Speaker 1 we used to play

Speaker 1 in kindergarten.

Speaker 1 All of us kinder in a circle,

Speaker 1 gripping a giant parachute,

Speaker 1 while the teacher tossed balls

Speaker 1 and bean bags onto the fabric.

Speaker 1 We bounced and shook it,

Speaker 1 pretending they were popcorn kernels,

Speaker 1 popping in a giant pan.

Speaker 1 My favorite part

Speaker 1 came

Speaker 1 after all the popcorn had bounced away.

Speaker 1 We'd raise the chute

Speaker 1 overhead on a signal,

Speaker 1 then turn in place

Speaker 1 to tuck ourselves underneath,

Speaker 1 pulling the edges down tight.

Speaker 1 The fabric puffed into a dome,

Speaker 1 then slowly drifted down,

Speaker 1 covering us completely.

Speaker 1 And for those five or so seconds

Speaker 1 it felt like being in another world.

Speaker 1 The light was colored

Speaker 1 in my memory

Speaker 1 a bright orange

Speaker 1 as it shone through the nylon,

Speaker 1 the pressure of the air,

Speaker 1 the sudden hush

Speaker 1 as we watched it billow and fall

Speaker 1 made for a few magical moments in the middle of gym class.

Speaker 1 I smiled at the gift of that memory

Speaker 1 as I settled the blanket

Speaker 1 onto onto the grass,

Speaker 1 especially since

Speaker 1 the other two members of Cloud Club

Speaker 1 had stood on either side of me

Speaker 1 when we played that game.

Speaker 1 That's how long

Speaker 1 we'd been friends.

Speaker 1 I dropped down

Speaker 1 onto the blanket

Speaker 1 and stretched out

Speaker 1 onto my stomach,

Speaker 1 letting my feet slip out of my sandals.

Speaker 1 I laid one cheek against the cotton and closed my eyes.

Speaker 1 I could feel the blades of grass underneath,

Speaker 1 and with each deep breath,

Speaker 1 felt my belly

Speaker 1 press into the earth

Speaker 1 and lift away on the exhale.

Speaker 1 The air was thick with the scent of grass and trees,

Speaker 1 not sweet like flowers,

Speaker 1 but full of a vibrant chlorophyll smell

Speaker 1 that radiated from everything growing nearby.

Speaker 1 Whenever Cloud Club meets,

Speaker 1 not as regularly as we'd like,

Speaker 1 but as often as we're able.

Speaker 1 There are three jobs

Speaker 1 three duties, if you will

Speaker 1 And we rotate through them each time

Speaker 1 The first duty

Speaker 1 which fell to me today

Speaker 1 was Spot Finder

Speaker 1 We needed a place to lay out a blanket

Speaker 1 and watch the clouds roll by.

Speaker 1 It wasn't exactly a rule

Speaker 1 that the spot had to be somewhere new every time

Speaker 1 but we all enjoyed it more when it was.

Speaker 1 We often met in the village park

Speaker 1 on the east end

Speaker 1 of downtown.

Speaker 1 There were lots of good cloud watching spots

Speaker 1 And in the autumn

Speaker 1 we'd head out to the orchards

Speaker 1 Where we could smell fresh apples

Speaker 1 while we reclined.

Speaker 1 Once we borrowed my sister's apartment

Speaker 1 just for access to her rooftop,

Speaker 1 though it turned out to be too hot,

Speaker 1 and we gave up the clouds for ice cream after twenty minutes.

Speaker 1 Another time

Speaker 1 we tried the center of the cross-country track

Speaker 1 while the team was away at a meet.

Speaker 1 That had been interesting.

Speaker 1 But my favorite spots were always the ones furthest from buildings and people,

Speaker 1 where the only sounds were birdsong and cicadas.

Speaker 1 Today we were in a quiet park,

Speaker 1 mostly used by birders,

Speaker 1 a few trails,

Speaker 1 some benches,

Speaker 1 and a wide stretch of soft sloped land ringed by trees.

Speaker 1 The grass was lush,

Speaker 1 and there wasn't another blanket of friends in

Speaker 1 The other two Cloud Club roles

Speaker 1 were just as vital as Spot Finder.

Speaker 1 They were snack provider

Speaker 1 and drink chooser.

Speaker 1 Snacks ranged from chips and crackers,

Speaker 1 hummus and crude detés,

Speaker 1 to cookies

Speaker 1 and rice crispy squares.

Speaker 1 And once,

Speaker 1 during a chilly December meeting that hadn't lasted long,

Speaker 1 but still felt magical in the snow,

Speaker 1 there was a tray of gingerbread.

Speaker 1 We most often drank iced tea in a range of flavors,

Speaker 1 or ginger ale chilled to the perfect temperature.

Speaker 1 I wondered what we were in for today

Speaker 1 as I rolled on to my back,

Speaker 1 listening to the dry rustle

Speaker 1 of the grass beneath me.

Speaker 1 I tucked my hands behind my head

Speaker 1 crossed one ankle over the other

Speaker 1 and had just drawn a deep breath

Speaker 1 when I heard one of my friends call out from the path

Speaker 1 You better not be starting without us

Speaker 1 My exhale turned into a laugh.

Speaker 1 I propped up on my elbows

Speaker 1 and saw the other two cloud club members making their way across the meadow.

Speaker 1 I've barely looked at any clouds, I swear, I called back.

Speaker 1 They smiled as they plopped their bags

Speaker 1 and themselves

Speaker 1 down beside me.

Speaker 1 Good spot, said one.

Speaker 1 Good spot, agreed the other.

Speaker 1 I sat up,

Speaker 1 criss-cross applesauce,

Speaker 1 just like we learned in kindergarten,

Speaker 1 and waited to be handed a snack and a drink.

Speaker 1 What an absolute joy, I thought,

Speaker 1 to have friends like these.

Speaker 1 People who know you well,

Speaker 1 who you can be quiet

Speaker 1 and unmasked with,

Speaker 1 who feed you, water you,

Speaker 1 enjoy life beside beside you,

Speaker 1 and don't need much else

Speaker 1 beyond your company.

Speaker 1 From a basket

Speaker 1 came the rustle of wax paper,

Speaker 1 and I smelled strawberries.

Speaker 1 Our snack provider had gone with a classic to day,

Speaker 1 clearly tuned in to the kindergarten memories

Speaker 1 that had been floating through my own head.

Speaker 1 She handed me a good old peanut butter and jelly sandwich,

Speaker 1 soft bread,

Speaker 1 cut on the diagonal,

Speaker 1 wrapped in wax paper and a napkin.

Speaker 1 At the other corner of the blanket,

Speaker 1 and decidedly fancier,

Speaker 1 drinks were being made with tonic water,

Speaker 1 lemon slices,

Speaker 1 and fresh mint.

Speaker 1 Once everything had been passed around,

Speaker 1 we raised our cups

Speaker 1 and tapped the rims together.

Speaker 1 We would eat and sip and chat a bit,

Speaker 1 then stretch out with our heads together and our bodies fanned outward

Speaker 1 like a three-pointed star

Speaker 1 and watch the clouds.

Speaker 1 I might mention that there's a name for this hobby,

Speaker 1 nephology.

Speaker 1 They kindly indulged my need

Speaker 1 to drop fun facts into our outings.

Speaker 1 Eventually

Speaker 1 one of us might fall asleep

Speaker 1 and the afternoon would drift past

Speaker 1 as we recharged together.

Speaker 1 I know we see shapes in clouds

Speaker 1 because our brains are built

Speaker 1 to search for patterns and meaning.

Speaker 1 But we'd learned to let them

Speaker 1 just slide by,

Speaker 1 liminal

Speaker 1 and unexplained.

Speaker 1 We were content

Speaker 1 just to witness them

Speaker 1 Sweet dreams