The Lilac Booth, Part 2

Speaker 1 Get more, nothing much happens with bonus episodes, extra long stories, and ad-free listening, all while supporting the show you love. Subscribe now.

Speaker 2 At Blinds.com, it's not just about window treatments, it's about you, your style, your space, your way.

Speaker 2 Whether you DIY or want the pros to handle it all, you'll have the confidence of knowing it's done right.

Speaker 2 From free expert design help to our 100% satisfaction guarantee, everything we do is made to fit your life and your windows. Because at blinds.com, the only thing we treat better than windows is you.

Speaker 2 Visit blinds.com now for up to 50% off with minimum purchase plus a professional measure at no cost. Rules and restrictions apply.

Speaker 1 I get so many headaches every month.

Speaker 3 It could be chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting four hours or more.

Speaker 4 Botox, autobotulinum toxin A, prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine. It's not for those who have 14 or fewer headache days a month.
Prescription Botox is injected by your doctor.

Speaker 4 Effects of Botox may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms.

Speaker 4 Alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition.

Speaker 4 Patients with these conditions before injection are at highest risk. Side effects may include allergic reactions, neck, and injection, side pain, fatigue, and headache.

Speaker 4 Allergic reactions can include rash, welts, asthma symptoms, and dizziness. Don't receive Botox if there's a skin infection.

Speaker 4 Tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions, including ALS Lou Gehrig's disease, myasthenia gravis or Lambert Eaton syndrome, and medications including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects.

Speaker 3 Why wait? Ask your doctor. Visit BotoxchronicMigraine.com or call 1-800-44-BOTOX to learn more.

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 of the stories you'll hear on Nothing Much Happens

Speaker 1 with Audio Engineering by Bob Wittersheim.

Speaker 1 We give to a different charity each week. And this week, we are giving to the Humane League, helping animals live better lives.

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

Speaker 1 In the ever-evolving podcast world,

Speaker 1 the absolute best way to ensure these stories keep landing gently in your ears,

Speaker 1 if that's important to you, is to become a premium subscriber.

Speaker 1 It costs about ten cents a day.

Speaker 1 And I've been trying to think of things that you can get for one thin dime.

Speaker 1 Maybe a single shoelace from a thrift bin or a gumball if you can still find a machine.

Speaker 1 But not much else.

Speaker 1 It's small, but it matters so much.

Speaker 1 Plus, you'll get access to our entire ad-free catalog.

Speaker 1 Dozens of bonuses. and extra long episodes and new content every month.
If you're interested, just follow the links in our show notes or head straight over to nothingmuchhappens.com.

Speaker 1 I have a tried and true method for sending you off to sleep.

Speaker 1 A way to engage your mind just enough to

Speaker 1 shepherd it into a quiet pasture

Speaker 1 without giving it the zoomies.

Speaker 1 It uses the ancient technology of storytelling.

Speaker 1 And all you need to do is listen.

Speaker 1 Follow the sound of my voice and know that this is a form of brain training. If you're new to it, keep coming back.

Speaker 1 Regular use will improve your response.

Speaker 1 I'll tell the story twice,

Speaker 1 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 Our story tonight is called The Lilac Booth, Part 2.

Speaker 1 And it's a story about a lovely spring day at the farmer's market and the sweet smell of a favorite flower.

Speaker 1 It's also about street food and sunshine, memories pulled forward by a breath of perfume, crumpled dollar bills, and the kind of beauty that can sit on your windowsill.

Speaker 1 Even before Symbiotica became a sponsor on our show, it was already in our cupboard. My wife, the wiser of the two of us, had it stocked up and an easy reach for me.

Speaker 1 Symbiotica makes choosing healthy habits easy, enjoyable, and something that I look forward to. Plus, spring is here and we've got an amazing discount from my friends at Symbiotica.

Speaker 1 There's no better time to hit refresh on your routines than spring. I've really been loving Symbiotica's Magnesium L3N8.

Speaker 1 I take it with my mid-morning cup of tea for a boost in my mood and my focus as I settle into right.

Speaker 1 Did you know that over 65% of adults in the U.S. are magnesium deficient? This can cause muscle cramps, brain fog, headaches, and insomnia.

Speaker 1 Symbiotica's magnesium L-threonate is the only form of magnesium that crosses the blood-brain barrier, delivering nutrients straight to your brain.

Speaker 1 Unlike other forms, it skips digestion and works directly to improve memory, focus, and mood. You will feel the difference in your body when taking this consistently.

Speaker 1 None of their supplements ever contain seed oils, preservatives, toxins, artificial additives, or quote-unquote natural flavors. There are no unclear ingredients or misleading labels.

Speaker 1 These are the cleanest, most effective products out there.

Speaker 1 Feel your absolute best going into spring with Symbiotica, Wellness Made Simple. Go to symbiotica.com/slash nothing much for 20% off your order and free shipping.

Speaker 1 That's C-Y-M-B-I-O-T-I-K-A dot com slash nothing much to get 20% off your order and free shipping.

Speaker 1 Okay.

Speaker 1 Lights out.

Speaker 1 Set everything down.

Speaker 1 The stuff in your hands

Speaker 1 and the stuff on your mind. Set it down.
It's okay too.

Speaker 1 I'll take the next watch.

Speaker 1 Let your body relax into the sheets

Speaker 1 and feel how good it is

Speaker 1 to be done with today.

Speaker 1 Draw a deep breath in through your nose

Speaker 1 and sigh.

Speaker 1 Again, fill it up

Speaker 1 and let it go.

Speaker 1 Good.

Speaker 1 The lilac booth.

Speaker 1 Part 2.

Speaker 1 The market was just starting to get busy.

Speaker 1 And we were ready.

Speaker 1 I took one more look around

Speaker 1 to assure myself of that.

Speaker 1 Yeah,

Speaker 1 we were ready.

Speaker 1 I'd been up early, before the dew had dried on the grass, or the chill had left the air,

Speaker 1 to clip buckets and buckets full of lilac stems for today.

Speaker 1 Me and my small crew of volunteers had snipped for more than an hour,

Speaker 1 but still hadn't emptied the bushes that grew all over the patch of land surrounding my farmhouse.

Speaker 1 I was glad for that.

Speaker 1 There were still more

Speaker 1 sweet-smelling, mostly purple blooms for the folks that stopped to pick them in the next week or so

Speaker 1 before they were gone for another year.

Speaker 1 I say mostly purple

Speaker 1 because

Speaker 1 since I'd become the steward of the lilacs,

Speaker 1 I'd planted many new varieties,

Speaker 1 including yellow and rose-red ones.

Speaker 1 We had bright blue and pale pink

Speaker 1 and stark white flowers.

Speaker 1 They all carried the signature scent of lilac,

Speaker 1 which is a deep sweetness,

Speaker 1 like a jasmine dipped in honey,

Speaker 1 slightly powdery,

Speaker 1 and with just a bit of green and citrus.

Speaker 1 The van ride on our way to the market

Speaker 1 had been so fragrant.

Speaker 1 I could still smell the flowers on my skin and sweatshirt.

Speaker 1 We'd buckled all the pails into the cargo space

Speaker 1 settled in around the boxes of donated vases

Speaker 1 and slowly and carefully bumped our way into town

Speaker 1 the market is a long low building on the edge of downtown

Speaker 1 Half of it is an open-air space

Speaker 1 banks of wooden stalls with spaces behind them,

Speaker 1 where sellers could pull up and unload their wares.

Speaker 1 The other half was enclosed,

Speaker 1 a long, wide hall, with cracked green tiles on the floor,

Speaker 1 and vendors on either side.

Speaker 1 Small tables were also set up here and there,

Speaker 1 tucked in beside the entrance,

Speaker 1 and a few running down the sidewalk for smaller home run businesses and makers.

Speaker 1 There was a coffee cart in the parking lot,

Speaker 1 an ice cream truck at the curb,

Speaker 1 and a few pop-up stands selling empanadas and onagiri

Speaker 1 and flavored iced teas.

Speaker 1 A woman with a guitar was busking by the row of benches in the sun.

Speaker 1 We'd been able to get one of the outdoor spots for today,

Speaker 1 and I was glad about it.

Speaker 1 The air had warmed a good bit since I'd been picking flowers in the early morning,

Speaker 1 and everyone who passed by looked to be enjoying it.

Speaker 1 It was like watching a battery charge

Speaker 1 or a time-lapse video of a plant after it's been watered.

Speaker 1 Faces spread with smiles.

Speaker 1 People took deep breaths and shrugged out of their sweaters

Speaker 1 and tied them around their waists.

Speaker 1 They lifted their faces to the light

Speaker 1 and weight seemed to lift from their shoulders.

Speaker 1 I liked looking out at them

Speaker 1 as I arranged lilacs into vases.

Speaker 1 We thought about just wrapping the bouquets in newspaper,

Speaker 1 tying them with ribbon.

Speaker 1 But we guessed many of the flowers sold would be gifted.

Speaker 1 And handing someone a bouquet that needs to be recut and arranged

Speaker 1 is a bit like gifting someone a chore.

Speaker 1 In our vases,

Speaker 1 they would be ready to set on any table or windowsill, just as they were.

Speaker 1 And once I put the word out that I was looking looking for donated vases,

Speaker 1 lots of folks turned out to have way more than we could use.

Speaker 1 So we hadn't needed to spend a cent to upgrade our blooms for our customers.

Speaker 1 We'd prepared a few dozen vases and set them out in rows and bunches in our booth.

Speaker 1 My helpers were ready with change in their aprons,

Speaker 1 and soon we had our first customers.

Speaker 1 People who were drawn by the scent.

Speaker 1 You could see their faces change

Speaker 1 as they breathed in the scent,

Speaker 1 the way they were

Speaker 1 transported instantly

Speaker 1 to some other time

Speaker 1 and place by the perfume.

Speaker 1 Many told us of the lilac tree they'd had in their backyard growing up,

Speaker 1 or how it was their aunt's favorite flower,

Speaker 1 how those memories had come rushing back

Speaker 1 with one breath of the scent.

Speaker 1 It was something I'd heard so many times

Speaker 1 and knew myself to be true.

Speaker 1 By midday, we were down to our last three buckets of blooms,

Speaker 1 and I was putting together vases of them as fast as I could.

Speaker 1 We told customers about my farmhouse in the country,

Speaker 1 surrounded by lilac bushes in every direction,

Speaker 1 How I'd been a lilac thief,

Speaker 1 but was now reformed.

Speaker 1 How the money we were raising today

Speaker 1 would help the monarch habitat across from the elementary school.

Speaker 1 A few people had been to the farm before,

Speaker 1 had seen the signs encouraging them to stop and take home a few stems.

Speaker 1 But there were plenty who had never smelled a lilac,

Speaker 1 and I hoped we were creating a memory for them

Speaker 1 that they could return to many times.

Speaker 1 I swapped jobs with an hour to go

Speaker 1 and let someone else handle bundling the stems.

Speaker 1 I wrapped one of the aprons around me,

Speaker 1 noticing that we had indeed

Speaker 1 raised a good bit of cash already.

Speaker 1 As I walked around to the front of the booth to appreciate this little dream that I had brought to life,

Speaker 1 I noticed a little girl, ten or eleven,

Speaker 1 digging in her pockets for crumpled up dollar dollar bills.

Speaker 1 She was counting them out and looking at the vases,

Speaker 1 trying to decide if she had enough for the big one in the center of the table.

Speaker 1 I called out to the volunteer behind the booth

Speaker 1 that

Speaker 1 since it was almost the end of the day,

Speaker 1 we should put put everything on sale for half off.

Speaker 1 She looked down at the little girl and nodded at me with a wink.

Speaker 1 Good call, boss, she said.

Speaker 1 The girl handed over her dollars and walked out with the largest vase we had.

Speaker 1 Her arms had barely wrapped around it,

Speaker 1 and her face poked through the stems.

Speaker 1 I knew she might have bought them to gift to a parent or grandparent,

Speaker 1 but I sort of hoped they were all for her,

Speaker 1 that she would set them on her bedside table,

Speaker 1 and that the perfume of them would work its way into her dreams as she slept.

Speaker 1 Yes, it could lead her to a life of crime.

Speaker 1 A life

Speaker 1 like my own,

Speaker 1 the life of a lilac thief.

Speaker 1 But I thought the world needed more of us,

Speaker 1 more people,

Speaker 1 driven by a love for beautiful things.

Speaker 1 The lilac booth.

Speaker 1 Part two

Speaker 1 The market

Speaker 1 was just starting to get busy

Speaker 1 and

Speaker 1 we were ready.

Speaker 1 I took one more look around

Speaker 1 to assure myself of that.

Speaker 1 Yeah,

Speaker 1 we were ready.

Speaker 1 I'd been up early

Speaker 1 before the dew had dried on the grass

Speaker 1 or the chill had left the air

Speaker 1 to clip buckets and buckets full of lilac stems for to day.

Speaker 1 Me and my small crew of volunteers

Speaker 1 had snipped for more than an hour,

Speaker 1 but still hadn't emptied the bushes

Speaker 1 that grew all over the patch of land

Speaker 1 surrounding my old farmhouse.

Speaker 1 I was glad for that.

Speaker 1 There were still more sweet smelling, mostly purple blooms

Speaker 1 for the folks that stopped to pick them in the next week or so

Speaker 1 before they were gone for another year.

Speaker 1 I say

Speaker 1 mostly purple

Speaker 1 because

Speaker 1 since I'd become the steward of the lilacs

Speaker 1 I'd planted many new varieties

Speaker 1 including yellow

Speaker 1 and rose-red ones.

Speaker 1 We had bright blue

Speaker 1 and pale pink

Speaker 1 and stark white flowers.

Speaker 1 They all carried the signature scent of lilac,

Speaker 1 which was a deep sweetness,

Speaker 1 like a jasmine dipped in honey,

Speaker 1 slightly powdery,

Speaker 1 and with just a bit

Speaker 1 of green and citrus.

Speaker 1 The van ride on our way to the market had been so fragrant,

Speaker 1 I could still smell the flowers on my skin and sweatshirt.

Speaker 1 We'd buckled all the pails

Speaker 1 into our cargo space,

Speaker 1 settled in around the boxes

Speaker 1 of donated vases,

Speaker 1 and slowly and carefully

Speaker 1 bumped our way into town.

Speaker 1 The market is a long,

Speaker 1 low building

Speaker 1 on the edge of downtown.

Speaker 1 Half of it is an open air space

Speaker 1 banks of wooden stalls

Speaker 1 with spaces behind them

Speaker 1 where sellers could pull up

Speaker 1 and unload their wares

Speaker 1 the other half was enclosed

Speaker 1 a long wide hall

Speaker 1 with cracked green tiles on the floor

Speaker 1 and vendors on either side

Speaker 1 small tables were also set up here and there,

Speaker 1 tucked in beside the entrance,

Speaker 1 and a few running down the sidewalk

Speaker 1 for smaller, home run businesses and makers.

Speaker 1 There was a coffee cart in the parking lot,

Speaker 1 an ice cream truck at the the curb,

Speaker 1 and a few pop-up stands selling empanadas and onigiri,

Speaker 1 and flavored iced teas.

Speaker 1 A woman with the guitar

Speaker 1 was busking by the row of benches in the sun.

Speaker 1 We'd been able to get one of the outdoor spots for today,

Speaker 1 and I was glad about it.

Speaker 1 The air had warmed a good bit

Speaker 1 since I'd been picking flowers in the early morning,

Speaker 1 and everyone who passed by

Speaker 1 looked to be enjoying it.

Speaker 1 It was like watching a battery charge

Speaker 1 or a time lapse video

Speaker 1 of a plant

Speaker 1 after it's been watered.

Speaker 1 Faces spread with smiles.

Speaker 1 People took deep breaths

Speaker 1 and shrugged out of their sweaters

Speaker 1 and tied them around their waists.

Speaker 1 They lifted their faces to the light,

Speaker 1 and weight seemed to lift from their shoulders.

Speaker 1 I liked looking out at them

Speaker 1 as I arranged lilacs into vases.

Speaker 1 We thought about just wrapping the bouquets in newspaper,

Speaker 1 tying them with ribbon.

Speaker 1 But we guessed many of the flowers we sold

Speaker 1 would be gifted,

Speaker 1 and handing someone a bouquet

Speaker 1 that needs to be recut and arranged

Speaker 1 is a bit like

Speaker 1 gifting someone a chore.

Speaker 1 In our vases, they would be ready to set

Speaker 1 on any table or windowsill,

Speaker 1 just as they were.

Speaker 1 And once I put the word out

Speaker 1 that I was looking for donated vases,

Speaker 1 lots of folks turned out to have way more

Speaker 1 than they could use.

Speaker 1 So we hadn't needed to spend a cent

Speaker 1 to upgrade our blooms for our customers.

Speaker 1 We'd prepared a few dozen vases

Speaker 1 and set them out in rows

Speaker 1 and bunches in our booth.

Speaker 1 My helpers were ready with change in their aprons,

Speaker 1 and soon we had our first customers

Speaker 1 people who were drawn by the smell

Speaker 1 you could see their faces change

Speaker 1 as they breathed in the scent

Speaker 1 the way they were transported instantly

Speaker 1 to some other time and place

Speaker 1 by the perfume

Speaker 1 Many told us of the lilac tree they'd had in their back yard growing up,

Speaker 1 or how this was their aunt's favorite flower,

Speaker 1 how those memories had come rushing back

Speaker 1 with one breath of the scent.

Speaker 1 It was something I'd heard so many times, and knew myself to be true.

Speaker 1 By midday,

Speaker 1 we were down to our last three buckets of blooms,

Speaker 1 and I was putting together vases of them as fast as I could.

Speaker 1 We told customers about my farmhouse in the country,

Speaker 1 surrounded by lilac bushes in every direction.

Speaker 1 How I'd been a lilac thief, but was now reformed.

Speaker 1 How the money we were raising today

Speaker 1 would help the monarch habitat

Speaker 1 across from the elementary school.

Speaker 1 A few people had been to the farm before,

Speaker 1 had seen the signs,

Speaker 1 encouraging them to stop,

Speaker 1 and take home a few stems.

Speaker 1 But there were plenty who never smelled a lilac,

Speaker 1 and I hoped

Speaker 1 we were creating a memory for them

Speaker 1 that they could return to many times.

Speaker 1 I swapped jobs with an hour to go

Speaker 1 and let someone else handle bundling the stems.

Speaker 1 I wrapped one of the aprons around me,

Speaker 1 noticing that we had indeed

Speaker 1 raised a good bit of cash already

Speaker 1 as I walked around to the front of the booth

Speaker 1 to appreciate this dream

Speaker 1 that I had brought to life

Speaker 1 I noticed a little girl,

Speaker 1 ten or eleven,

Speaker 1 digging in her pockets

Speaker 1 for crumpled up dollar bills.

Speaker 1 She was counting them out

Speaker 1 and looking at the vases,

Speaker 1 trying to decide if she had enough for the big one in the center of the table.

Speaker 1 I called out to the volunteer behind the booth

Speaker 1 that since it was almost the end of the day

Speaker 1 we should put everything on sale for half off.

Speaker 1 She looked down at the little girl and nodded at me with a wink.

Speaker 1 Good call, boss,

Speaker 1 she said.

Speaker 1 The girl handed over her dollars

Speaker 1 and walked out with the largest vase we had.

Speaker 1 Her arms had barely wrapped around it,

Speaker 1 and her face poked through the stems.

Speaker 1 I knew she might have bought them to gift a parent or grandparent,

Speaker 1 but I sort of hoped they were all for her,

Speaker 1 that she would set them on her bedside table,

Speaker 1 and that the perfume of them

Speaker 1 would work its way into her dreams as she slept.

Speaker 1 Yes, it could lead her to a life of crime,

Speaker 1 a life like my own,

Speaker 1 the life of a lilac thief.

Speaker 1 But I thought the world needed more of us,

Speaker 1 more people

Speaker 1 driven

Speaker 1 by a love

Speaker 1 for beautiful things.

Speaker 1 Sweet dreams.