Joyride (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 Okay.

Speaker 1 So we are getting closer to 100 million downloads of nothing much happens.

Speaker 1 And that's one way of saying that this works.

Speaker 1 I will put you to sleep. And all you need to do is listen.

Speaker 1 Just follow along with the sound of my voice. And we'll actually shift your brain activity,

Speaker 1 and sleep will follow.

Speaker 1 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, don't hesitate to turn the story right back on, or just think your way through any parts of it that you can remember.

Speaker 1 Our story tonight is called Joyride.

Speaker 1 And it's a story about a spontaneous trip for two friends on a summer day.

Speaker 1 It's also about music coming from the record shop store,

Speaker 1 a new book and a beloved series,

Speaker 1 and riding off into the sunset with the windows rolled down.

Speaker 1 Now,

Speaker 1 it's time to turn out the light

Speaker 1 and put away anything you've been looking at or working on.

Speaker 1 Send your body the signal that it is time for sleep.

Speaker 1 Get as comfortable as you can

Speaker 1 and let your limbs drop heavy into the sheets.

Speaker 1 You have done enough for today.

Speaker 1 It is enough.

Speaker 1 And I'll be here,

Speaker 1 keeping watch as you rest.

Speaker 1 Take a slow breath in

Speaker 1 and sigh

Speaker 1 again in through the nose

Speaker 1 and out through the mouth.

Speaker 1 Good

Speaker 1 Joyride.

Speaker 1 The day was calling to me.

Speaker 1 It was one of those soft summer days.

Speaker 1 Not too hot, but bright and sweet-smelling.

Speaker 1 The grass was thick and green on every corner.

Speaker 1 The tiger lilies blooming in tall stalks along the roadside.

Speaker 1 The baby robins whose broken, bright blue shells I'd spotted on walks a month or two ago

Speaker 1 were fully grown

Speaker 1 and flying through the treetops.

Speaker 1 Kids had been out of school for long enough

Speaker 1 to have fallen into their summer schedules.

Speaker 1 And in the neighborhoods he'd spot a pile of bikes dumped on a front lawn, marking where they were playing.

Speaker 1 The cafes and restaurants downtown had tables and chairs set up for open air dining.

Speaker 1 And the basketball court in the park was busy

Speaker 1 with hurriedly assembled teams buying for the next win.

Speaker 1 On days like this,

Speaker 1 it calls to you

Speaker 1 to get out and

Speaker 1 enjoy.

Speaker 1 To fall asleep under a big tree

Speaker 1 or wander down toward the river

Speaker 1 and sink your feet into the moving water.

Speaker 1 I was just ending my shift at the record shop.

Speaker 1 We'd been pretty busy to day.

Speaker 1 The stores on either side of us were having sidewalk sales

Speaker 1 and while we couldn't set our vinyl out in the sunny spot in front of our shop window without warping our records

Speaker 1 We propped the door open

Speaker 1 and played the kind of slow, lingerous jazz

Speaker 1 that made passers-by imagine,

Speaker 1 if only for a few minutes,

Speaker 1 that they were in a movie,

Speaker 1 probably one where they drove a convertible

Speaker 1 down a dusty desert road,

Speaker 1 and their hat went flying off into the distance.

Speaker 1 I watched people on the sidewalk turn toward the music,

Speaker 1 stop and look in through the window,

Speaker 1 a subtle change in their faces as they spotted an album cover they loved,

Speaker 1 or took in our crates full of cassette tapes.

Speaker 1 They'd step in,

Speaker 1 their eyes adjusting from the bright day

Speaker 1 to the cool, dim shop.

Speaker 1 And you could feel

Speaker 1 the excitement

Speaker 1 of them being about to discover

Speaker 1 some new piece of music.

Speaker 1 When was the last time you flipped through a stack of records?

Speaker 1 When did you last treat yourself to a new album or book

Speaker 1 or piece of art?

Speaker 1 Some might think it

Speaker 1 unimportant,

Speaker 1 unessential.

Speaker 1 And of course that is the point.

Speaker 1 A life without the delights of what other humans can create

Speaker 1 with their minds and hearts and hands

Speaker 1 could probably be survived,

Speaker 1 but it would certainly only be half-lived.

Speaker 1 And working here,

Speaker 1 playing music every day,

Speaker 1 reading the lyrics between ringing up records,

Speaker 1 hearing the stories that go with the songs, the memories they revive for customers.

Speaker 1 It has made me appreciate

Speaker 1 an adorned life,

Speaker 1 a decorated,

Speaker 1 romanticized life.

Speaker 1 A life where

Speaker 1 when you get out of work on a sunny afternoon

Speaker 1 and feel called by the day to do something sweet

Speaker 1 and spontaneous,

Speaker 1 you do.

Speaker 1 I walked through the streets,

Speaker 1 stopping to duck my head into the bookshop

Speaker 1 and wave to my friend behind the counter.

Speaker 1 A while back, we'd found an old armchair at an estate sale,

Speaker 1 and I'd helped her haul it into the shop.

Speaker 1 We'd wedged it behind the counter for her,

Speaker 1 swapping it for the rather uncomfortable stool

Speaker 1 that had sat there for years.

Speaker 1 Now she could sit with her feet propped up on a shelf under the counter,

Speaker 1 lean

Speaker 1 back,

Speaker 1 and read while the customers browsed.

Speaker 1 She had a new book open in front of her.

Speaker 1 Just a few pages in her left hand and a couple hundred in her right.

Speaker 1 And I knew that meant she was just settling in.

Speaker 1 What are you reading? I asked as I leaned against the open doorway.

Speaker 1 New book in my series,

Speaker 1 she said without looking up.

Speaker 1 Hmm, sounds like serious business.

Speaker 1 It is.

Speaker 1 Can't talk.

Speaker 1 But you can pet Elfie before you go.

Speaker 1 I chuckled and stepped in and around the desk to squat down and pet her sweet dog Elphabet.

Speaker 1 Elfie for short.

Speaker 1 And he was short.

Speaker 1 Some sort of Dachshund Corgi Bassett situation, but with some other bits in there too.

Speaker 1 He rolled over

Speaker 1 and I scratched his chest.

Speaker 1 He perked up a bit and rolled onto his feet,

Speaker 1 taking a slow big stretch, which, of course, I acknowledged by saying, Ooh,

Speaker 1 big stretch.

Speaker 1 He shook himself like he'd just climbed out of the lake,

Speaker 1 then looked at me as if to say,

Speaker 1 Well, I'm up.

Speaker 1 Now what?

Speaker 1 I looked up at his mom with her nose deep in her book and got an idea.

Speaker 1 Now, a ride in the car on a sunny day with the music up and the windows down

Speaker 1 is already a pretty great thing.

Speaker 1 But if you add a dog into the equation, it gets much better.

Speaker 1 And we could drive to a park,

Speaker 1 take a walk I could get him a puppy cone and me a

Speaker 1 dish of that lemon sorbet I liked

Speaker 1 I must have been thinking pretty loudly because when I looked up again

Speaker 1 she still had her nose in the book

Speaker 1 but now held Elfie's leash out to me with one hand

Speaker 1 have him back by six and take his bag with you.

Speaker 1 She tilted her head toward a canvas sack hanging from the coat rack.

Speaker 1 There's a doggy water bottle in there. Make sure he has a drink if he gets hot.

Speaker 1 Yes, mom, I said, as I clipped the leash to Elfie's collar. He tippy-tapped excitedly on the old wood floors as I slung the bag over my shoulder.

Speaker 1 Have fun, kids, she called from behind her book.

Speaker 1 We will have fun, I said to Elfie.

Speaker 1 I'd doggy sat him plenty in the past, and he was happy to come with me.

Speaker 1 We stopped to sniff along the sidewalk,

Speaker 1 Alfie checking and responding to his p-mail at most of the trees.

Speaker 1 When we got to my car, I opened his door and he hopped up into the passenger seat.

Speaker 1 In his bag, he had a harness with a seat belt connector, and I buckled him in.

Speaker 1 Soon the windows were down,

Speaker 1 and Elf had his head stuck out into the slipstream,

Speaker 1 his tail thumping against the seat back.

Speaker 1 I found some summer music to turn up

Speaker 1 and rested my hand on his back as we drove.

Speaker 1 This, I thought,

Speaker 1 is a joy ride.

Speaker 1 Joyride.

Speaker 1 The day was calling to me.

Speaker 1 It was one of those soft

Speaker 1 summer days.

Speaker 1 Not too hot, but bright

Speaker 1 and sweet-smelling.

Speaker 1 The grass was thick and green on every corner.

Speaker 1 The tiger lilies blooming in tall stalks along the roadside.

Speaker 1 The baby robins, whose broken, bright blue shells I'd spotted on walks

Speaker 1 a month or two ago were fully grown

Speaker 1 and flying through the treetops.

Speaker 1 Kids had been out of school for long enough

Speaker 1 to have fallen into their summer schedules

Speaker 1 And in the neighborhoods,

Speaker 1 you could spot a pile of bikes dumped on a front lawn

Speaker 1 to know where they were playing.

Speaker 1 The cafes and restaurants downtown

Speaker 1 had tables and chairs set up

Speaker 1 for open-air dining,

Speaker 1 and the basketball court in the park

Speaker 1 was busy with hurriedly assembled teams

Speaker 1 vying for the next win.

Speaker 1 On days like this,

Speaker 1 it calls to you

Speaker 1 to get out and enjoy,

Speaker 1 to fall asleep under a big tree,

Speaker 1 or wander down toward the river,

Speaker 1 and sink your feet

Speaker 1 into the moving water.

Speaker 1 I was just ending my shift at the record shop.

Speaker 1 We'd been pretty busy today.

Speaker 1 The stores on either side of us were having sidewalk sales

Speaker 1 and while we couldn't set our vinyl out in the sunny spot

Speaker 1 in front of our shop window without warping our records,

Speaker 1 we propped the door open

Speaker 1 and played the kind of slow,

Speaker 1 languorous jazz

Speaker 1 that made passers-by

Speaker 1 imagine,

Speaker 1 if only for a few minutes,

Speaker 1 that they were in a movie,

Speaker 1 probably

Speaker 1 one where

Speaker 1 they drove a convertible down a dusty desert road,

Speaker 1 and their hat went flying off into the distance.

Speaker 1 I watched people on the sidewalk turn toward the music,

Speaker 1 stop and

Speaker 1 look in through the window.

Speaker 1 A subtle change in their faces

Speaker 1 as they spotted an album cover they loved

Speaker 1 or took in our crates full of cassette tapes.

Speaker 1 They'd step in,

Speaker 1 their eyes adjusting from the bright day

Speaker 1 to the cool, dim shop.

Speaker 1 and you could feel the excitement of them

Speaker 1 about to discover

Speaker 1 some new piece of music.

Speaker 1 When was the last time

Speaker 1 you flipped through a stack of records?

Speaker 1 When did you last treat yourself to a new album or book

Speaker 1 or piece of art.

Speaker 1 Some might think it

Speaker 1 unimportant,

Speaker 1 unessential.

Speaker 1 And of course,

Speaker 1 that is the point.

Speaker 1 A life without the delights of what other humans can create with their minds and hearts and hands,

Speaker 1 it could probably be survived,

Speaker 1 but it would certainly only be half-lived.

Speaker 1 And working here,

Speaker 1 playing music every day,

Speaker 1 reading lyrics between ringing up records,

Speaker 1 hearing the stories that go with the songs,

Speaker 1 the memories they revive for customers.

Speaker 1 It has made me appreciate

Speaker 1 an adorned life,

Speaker 1 a decorated,

Speaker 1 romanticized life.

Speaker 1 A life where

Speaker 1 when you get out of work on a sunny afternoon

Speaker 1 and feel called by the day

Speaker 1 to do something sweet and spontaneous.

Speaker 1 You do.

Speaker 1 I walked through the streets,

Speaker 1 stopping to duck my head into the bookshop

Speaker 1 and wave to my friend behind the counter.

Speaker 1 A while back, we'd found an old armchair at an estate sale,

Speaker 1 and I'd helped her haul it into the shop.

Speaker 1 We'd wedged it behind the counter for her,

Speaker 1 swapping it for the rather uncomfortable stool that had been there for years.

Speaker 1 Now she could sit with her feet propped up on a shelf under the counter,

Speaker 1 lean back and read

Speaker 1 while the customers browsed.

Speaker 1 She had a new book open in front of her.

Speaker 1 Just a few pages in her left hand and a couple hundred in her right.

Speaker 1 And I knew that meant she was just settling in.

Speaker 1 What are you reading? I asked as I leaned against the open doorway.

Speaker 1 New book in my series,

Speaker 1 she said without looking up.

Speaker 1 Hm.

Speaker 1 Sounds like serious business.

Speaker 1 It is. Can't talk.

Speaker 1 But you can pet Elfie before you go.

Speaker 1 I chuckled

Speaker 1 and stepped in and around the desk to squat down and pet her sweet dog, Alphabet.

Speaker 1 Alfie, for short.

Speaker 1 And he was short.

Speaker 1 Some sort of dachshund, corgi, basset situation,

Speaker 1 but with some other bits in there, too.

Speaker 1 He rolled over, and I scratched his chest.

Speaker 1 He perked up a bit and rolled on to his feet, taking a slow, big stretch,

Speaker 1 which, of course,

Speaker 1 I acknowledged by saying, Ooh, big stretch.

Speaker 1 He shook himself like he'd just climbed out of the lake,

Speaker 1 then looked at me, as if to say,

Speaker 1 Well,

Speaker 1 I'm up.

Speaker 1 Now what?

Speaker 1 I looked up at his mom with her nose

Speaker 1 deep in her book

Speaker 1 and got an idea.

Speaker 1 A ride in the car

Speaker 1 on a sunny day with the music up

Speaker 1 and the windows down.

Speaker 1 It's already a pretty great thing.

Speaker 1 But if you add a dog into the equation, it gets much better.

Speaker 1 And we could drive to a park,

Speaker 1 take a walk.

Speaker 1 I could get him a puppy cone,

Speaker 1 and me a dish of that lemon sorbet I liked.

Speaker 1 I must have been thinking pretty loudly

Speaker 1 because when I looked again,

Speaker 1 she still had her nose in the book,

Speaker 1 but now held Elfie's leash out to me with one hand.

Speaker 1 Have him back by six and take his bag with you.

Speaker 1 She tilted her head toward a canvas sack hanging from the coat rack.

Speaker 1 There's a doggy water bottle in there.

Speaker 1 Make sure he has a drink if he gets hot.

Speaker 1 Yes, mom, I said as I clipped the leash to Alfie's collar.

Speaker 1 He tippy tapped excitedly on the old wood floors

Speaker 1 as I slung the bag over my shoulder.

Speaker 1 Have fun, kids she called from behind her book.

Speaker 1 We will have fun, I said to Elfie.

Speaker 1 I doggy sat him plenty in the past, and he was happy to come with me.

Speaker 1 We stopped to sniff along the sidewalk,

Speaker 1 Elfie checking and responding to his p-mail

Speaker 1 at most of the trees.

Speaker 1 When we got to my car, I opened his door and he hopped up into the passenger seat.

Speaker 1 In his bag, he had a harness with a seat belt connector,

Speaker 1 and I buckled him in.

Speaker 1 Soon the windows were down.

Speaker 1 An elf had his head stuck out into the slipstream,

Speaker 1 his tail thumping against the seat back.

Speaker 1 I found some summer music to turn up

Speaker 1 and rested my hand on his back as we drove.

Speaker 1 This, I thought,

Speaker 1 is a joy ride,

Speaker 1 sweet dreams.