Autumn World

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 1 If you've been listening to me for a while, you know how much I value rest. Sleep is really the foundation for everything else we do.
Our creativity, our relationships, our mood.

Speaker 1 And like you, I've had stretches where sleep just didn't come easily. And that's why I want to share something that's made a difference for me.
CBN nightcaps from Cured Nutrition.

Speaker 1 These capsules are formulated with 30 milligrams of CBD and 5 milligrams of CBN, two cannabinoids that work together to support deep restorative rest.

Speaker 1 What I've noticed is that I fall asleep really quickly and I stay asleep longer. And maybe most importantly, I wake up without feeling heavy or groggy.
Instead, I just feel rested and clear.

Speaker 1 There's no psychoactive effect, just a gentle calm that helps my body and mind unwind.

Speaker 1 For me, taking one an hour before bed has become part of my wind down ritual, right alongside tea and a book. It feels natural.
not forced, and that's why it works.

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Speaker 1 Coupon code nothing much.

Speaker 1 Transform your nights and your days with CBN nightcaps because when you sleep well, you show up better in every area of your life.

Speaker 1 You know those days when your brain just won't cooperate? When you're staring at your to-do list, hopping from call to call, and the mental fog just gets thicker? I've been there.

Speaker 1 And I used to reach for another coffee, only to end up jittery and then crashing later. That's why I've been trying Nature Sunshine Brain Edge.

Speaker 1 It's a clean, plant-powered drink mix that blends wild-harvested yerba mate with nootropic botanicals to help with focus, memory, and mental clarity without the crash.

Speaker 1 I've used it before recording, before writing, and I noticed I could think more clearly, I could stay present, and I could actually finish what I set out to do.

Speaker 1 I like that it fits right into my wellness routine.

Speaker 1 warm and cozy in a mug or poured over ice, and it feels good to know that the yerba mate is sourced responsibly from indigenous communities in the rainforest.

Speaker 1 Plus, Nature Sunshine has over 50 years of experience sourcing pure, potent ingredients, so I trust what I'm drinking. Don't fight through feeling foggy and lethargic.

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Speaker 1 Welcome to bedtime stories for everyone

Speaker 1 in which 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 Wittersheim.

Speaker 1 We give to a different charity each week.

Speaker 1 And this week we are giving to Wild for Life,

Speaker 1 a place for wildlife to heal and humans to learn. You can find out more about them in our show notes.

Speaker 1 Subscribers make nothing much happens happen.

Speaker 1 The world of podcasting is an ever-changing one and staying alive in it,

Speaker 1 even when millions listen, is frankly trickier than you might think.

Speaker 1 Certainly trickier than I expected.

Speaker 1 So please consider a premium subscription. It's just a dime a day.

Speaker 1 You'll get our whole catalog ad-free. So many bonus episodes and extra long episodes.

Speaker 1 As well as the satisfaction of knowing that you are making the world just a bit softer and sweeter. Click subscribe in Spotify or Apple or go to nothingmuchhappens.com.

Speaker 1 Here's how this works.

Speaker 1 We're going to play a little trick on your brain.

Speaker 1 We'll ask it to do a simple job.

Speaker 1 And while it's doing that job,

Speaker 1 you'll be able to quickly

Speaker 1 and peacefully fall asleep.

Speaker 1 That small amount of engagement slows the spinning.

Speaker 1 And the job is even a pleasant one. Just listen.
to the sound of my voice, the gentle shape of the story.

Speaker 1 I'll tell it twice

Speaker 1 and I'll go a little slower the second time through.

Speaker 1 If you wake again in the night, don't hesitate to start the story over again.

Speaker 1 You'll drop right back off.

Speaker 1 Our story tonight

Speaker 1 is called Autumn World.

Speaker 1 And it's a story about a morning with the windows open and fresh fresh air blowing through the house.

Speaker 1 It's also about crows cawing in a field, coffee and brown sugar, yesterday's raindrops falling from the trees, a record playing on the turntable,

Speaker 1 and the feeling of renewal that comes as summer ends.

Speaker 1 Lights out, campers.

Speaker 1 That is

Speaker 1 enough for today.

Speaker 1 You have probably

Speaker 1 seen and heard

Speaker 1 and thought

Speaker 1 a lot,

Speaker 1 and now nothing else is needed but to soften

Speaker 1 and relax.

Speaker 1 I'll keep watch.

Speaker 1 Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose

Speaker 1 and sigh.

Speaker 1 Nice. Do that one more time.
Inhale

Speaker 1 and let it go.

Speaker 1 Good.

Speaker 1 Autumn World.

Speaker 1 I woke to a new world this morning.

Speaker 1 it started in the night

Speaker 1 with a low rumbling thunder in the distance

Speaker 1 and the arrival a few minutes later

Speaker 1 of a steady rain drumming on the roof

Speaker 1 I'd been tucked into bed

Speaker 1 flipping my pillow to the cool side between dreams when I heard it

Speaker 1 Smiling, I sighed

Speaker 1 and went right back to sleep.

Speaker 1 Then today,

Speaker 1 when I drew back the curtain and lifted the sash,

Speaker 1 the breeze blew in fresh

Speaker 1 and crisp air,

Speaker 1 smelling of wood smoke and leaves.

Speaker 1 The humidity of the last few months was completely gone.

Speaker 1 Even the light looked different,

Speaker 1 like it was shining through a filter,

Speaker 1 a pie in the atmosphere.

Speaker 1 I chuckled to myself, thinking

Speaker 1 they call those clouds, I believe.

Speaker 1 Indeed, rather than blinking against the summer glare,

Speaker 1 holding my hand above my brow and squinting to see,

Speaker 1 I could open my eyes wide

Speaker 1 and savour everything in sight.

Speaker 1 The silvery leaves of the paper birch on the hillside,

Speaker 1 pots of white chrysanthemums on the neighbor's back step.

Speaker 1 A busy chestnut brown squirrel scurrying along the roof ridge.

Speaker 1 A hearty gust of wind blew,

Speaker 1 carrying leftover raindrops

Speaker 1 from the leaves in through the screen.

Speaker 1 They fell on my face and neck,

Speaker 1 and it reminded me of the tradition

Speaker 1 of washing your face with morning dew on the first day of May.

Speaker 1 This was the flip side of that.

Speaker 1 Showering with storm water

Speaker 1 as the autumn begins.

Speaker 1 I think the dew in May is meant to bring beauty.

Speaker 1 What would these drops bring?

Speaker 1 Rainwater is rich in nutrients for the soil,

Speaker 1 minerals and vapors

Speaker 1 from its journey through the water cycle.

Speaker 1 And I thought maybe

Speaker 1 a bit of electricity

Speaker 1 from the lightning.

Speaker 1 I pressed closer to the screen,

Speaker 1 letting a few more droplets land on my cheeks.

Speaker 1 Yes,

Speaker 1 it did feel like it had

Speaker 1 a thimbleful

Speaker 1 of electric charge,

Speaker 1 enough to inspire me to wash my face

Speaker 1 and make my bed

Speaker 1 and consider embarking

Speaker 1 on an autumnal adventure.

Speaker 1 In the kitchen, I pushed more windows open

Speaker 1 until the room was full of fresh air.

Speaker 1 The crayon drawings on the fridge fluttered wildly in it.

Speaker 1 But instead of closing things back up,

Speaker 1 I just added more magnets.

Speaker 1 The wind was charging my battery.

Speaker 1 I hadn't known how badly I needed it until I felt it.

Speaker 1 Now I couldn't do without it.

Speaker 1 At my espresso machine, I stuck the porta filter

Speaker 1 under the grinder

Speaker 1 and watched as the fresh grounds sprinkled down into it.

Speaker 1 I took a jar from the cupboard,

Speaker 1 thinking of a treat I hadn't had in a while.

Speaker 1 A brown sugar espresso.

Speaker 1 This was just the day for it.

Speaker 1 I spooned a layer

Speaker 1 of the sticky molasses sweet sugar

Speaker 1 on top of the grounds,

Speaker 1 pressing it flat,

Speaker 1 then,

Speaker 1 with a bit of effort, screwed it into place.

Speaker 1 I put my mug under the spout

Speaker 1 and pressed the button,

Speaker 1 watching closely,

Speaker 1 counting in my head.

Speaker 1 A barista friend of mine had told me once

Speaker 1 that the time from starting the flow of water

Speaker 1 to when the espresso emerged,

Speaker 1 which was called

Speaker 1 first drop,

Speaker 1 should be right around eight seconds.

Speaker 1 I wasn't that fussy about my coffee.

Speaker 1 In fact, most days,

Speaker 1 I made it with one eye open.

Speaker 1 But today,

Speaker 1 I was curious.

Speaker 1 How would the sugar affect it?

Speaker 1 Just as I was rounding the tail end of seven,

Speaker 1 a dark chocolate-brown drop

Speaker 1 landed in the bottom of my cup.

Speaker 1 I took it for an omen.

Speaker 1 Today would be a good day.

Speaker 1 While my cup filled,

Speaker 1 I wandered into the living room.

Speaker 1 The floorboards were cool under my feet,

Speaker 1 and it registered somewhere inside me

Speaker 1 that that was a sensation I hadn't felt in quite a few months.

Speaker 1 I lifted the lid of the turntable

Speaker 1 and flicked through the records beside it.

Speaker 1 Summer music has a very specific flavor,

Speaker 1 the energy of it.

Speaker 1 It's bright and yellow and bubbly.

Speaker 1 It wants to be played from the car stereo

Speaker 1 with the windows rolled down.

Speaker 1 But today it felt right

Speaker 1 to play some autumn music,

Speaker 1 the kind that was a bit more atmospheric,

Speaker 1 pensive,

Speaker 1 moody.

Speaker 1 If summer music made you dance,

Speaker 1 autumn tunes had you

Speaker 1 looking pensively

Speaker 1 out at the falling leaves.

Speaker 1 I pulled out an album

Speaker 1 I'd first heard nearly twenty years before

Speaker 1 a man's voice,

Speaker 1 a paired down band behind him,

Speaker 1 the songs warm and melancholy and steady.

Speaker 1 I blew dust from the vinyl

Speaker 1 and laid it on the player.

Speaker 1 Looked close to set the needle in the groove without scratching it,

Speaker 1 and sighed as the familiar notes began to play.

Speaker 1 Back in the kitchen I wrapped my hands around my cup

Speaker 1 and breathed in the sweet, treacly perfume.

Speaker 1 Ah, it was delicious

Speaker 1 And I remembered I'd bought a few muffins at the bakery the day before,

Speaker 1 and went to sort through the white paper bag on the kitchen table.

Speaker 1 I couldn't quite tell

Speaker 1 what the flavor was,

Speaker 1 just from the scent.

Speaker 1 Something fruity

Speaker 1 and something spicy.

Speaker 1 But when I broke one open

Speaker 1 and tasted it,

Speaker 1 I recognized ginger

Speaker 1 and pear.

Speaker 1 The muffins were soft and tender as cake inside,

Speaker 1 chewy on the edges, just like I liked them.

Speaker 1 As I rinsed my cup in the sink and washed the crumbs from my fingers,

Speaker 1 I heard crows cawing in the distance.

Speaker 1 I pictured them laying claim to their territory

Speaker 1 in the empty cornfield down the road,

Speaker 1 and as their cries died out,

Speaker 1 I noticed

Speaker 1 how quiet the world was.

Speaker 1 The sound of crickets

Speaker 1 and June bugs

Speaker 1 had been so constant

Speaker 1 for so many weeks

Speaker 1 that I'd stopped hearing it.

Speaker 1 The absence of their song

Speaker 1 felt like a relief,

Speaker 1 Like when a squealing car alarm is suddenly quelled.

Speaker 1 Then the wind blew again, and I listened to that.

Speaker 1 One of my favorite sounds,

Speaker 1 the rustling succeration of leaves and branches shifting.

Speaker 1 From the clothes line,

Speaker 1 a faint ringing came, came,

Speaker 1 the end of a dangling cord

Speaker 1 striking the metal post.

Speaker 1 It reminded me of an afternoon I'd spent on a sailboat.

Speaker 1 The way the wind rang through the rigging and sailcloth.

Speaker 1 What would I do with my day

Speaker 1 in this new autumn world?

Speaker 1 well, I'd certainly open every window in the house that was still closed.

Speaker 1 I'd hang sheets on the line

Speaker 1 and let them crisp in the breeze.

Speaker 1 I wanted to sweep the porch

Speaker 1 and stack firewood in the shed,

Speaker 1 fill the bird feeders, and make a pot of soup.

Speaker 1 I could take a long walk

Speaker 1 and listen to more records or just sit on my front steps

Speaker 1 and watch the wind blow.

Speaker 1 Oh, what a gift this season was.

Speaker 1 Autumn world.

Speaker 1 I woke to a new world this morning.

Speaker 1 It started in the night

Speaker 1 with a low rumbling thunder in the distance

Speaker 1 and the arrival a few minutes later

Speaker 1 of a steady rain

Speaker 1 drumming on the roof.

Speaker 1 I'd been tucked into bed,

Speaker 1 flipping my pillow to the cool side

Speaker 1 between dreams

Speaker 1 when I heard it.

Speaker 1 Smiling,

Speaker 1 I sighed

Speaker 1 and went

Speaker 1 right back to sleep.

Speaker 1 Then today,

Speaker 1 when I drew back the curtain

Speaker 1 and lifted the sash,

Speaker 1 the breeze blew in, fresh, crisp air,

Speaker 1 smelling of wood smoke and leaves.

Speaker 1 The humidity of the last few months

Speaker 1 was completely gone.

Speaker 1 Even the light looked different,

Speaker 1 like it was shining through a filter

Speaker 1 up high in the atmosphere.

Speaker 1 I chuckled to myself,

Speaker 1 thinking

Speaker 1 those are called clouds, I believe.

Speaker 1 Indeed, rather blinking against the summer glare,

Speaker 1 holding my hand above my brow

Speaker 1 and squinting to see,

Speaker 1 I could open my eyes wide

Speaker 1 and savour everything in sight

Speaker 1 The silvery leaves of the paper birch on the hillside

Speaker 1 pots of white chrysanthemums

Speaker 1 on the neighbor's backstep

Speaker 1 A busy chestnut brown squirrel

Speaker 1 scurrying along the roof ridge

Speaker 1 A hearty gust of wind blew,

Speaker 1 carrying leftover raindrops from the leaves

Speaker 1 in through the screen.

Speaker 1 They fell on my face and neck,

Speaker 1 and it reminded me of the tradition

Speaker 1 of washing your face with morning dew

Speaker 1 on the first day of May.

Speaker 1 This was the flip side of that

Speaker 1 showering with storm water

Speaker 1 as the autumn begins.

Speaker 1 I think the dew in May

Speaker 1 is meant to bring beauty.

Speaker 1 What would these drops bring?

Speaker 1 Rainwater is rich in nutrients for the soil,

Speaker 1 minerals and vapors from its journey through the water cycle.

Speaker 1 And I thought,

Speaker 1 maybe a bit of electricity

Speaker 1 from the lightning.

Speaker 1 I pressed closer to the screen,

Speaker 1 letting a few more droplets

Speaker 1 land on my cheeks.

Speaker 1 Yes,

Speaker 1 it did feel like it had

Speaker 1 a thimbleful

Speaker 1 of electric charge

Speaker 1 enough to inspire me

Speaker 1 to wash my face

Speaker 1 and make my bed

Speaker 1 and consider embarking

Speaker 1 on

Speaker 1 an autumnal adventure.

Speaker 1 In the kitchen, I pushed more windows open

Speaker 1 until the room was full of fresh air.

Speaker 1 The crayon drawings on the fridge

Speaker 1 fluttered wildly in it.

Speaker 1 But instead of closing things back up,

Speaker 1 I just added more magnets.

Speaker 1 The wind was charging my battery.

Speaker 1 I hadn't known how badly I needed it until now.

Speaker 1 and now I couldn't do without it.

Speaker 1 At my espresso machine

Speaker 1 I stuck the porta filter

Speaker 1 under the grinder

Speaker 1 and watched as the fresh grounds sprinkled down into it.

Speaker 1 I took a jar from the cupboard,

Speaker 1 thinking of a treat I hadn't had in a while,

Speaker 1 a brown sugar espresso.

Speaker 1 This was just the day for it.

Speaker 1 I spooned a layer

Speaker 1 of the sticky molasses sweet sugar

Speaker 1 on top of the grounds,

Speaker 1 pressing it flat,

Speaker 1 then with a bit of effort,

Speaker 1 screwed it into place.

Speaker 1 I put my mug under the spout

Speaker 1 and pressed the button,

Speaker 1 watching closely,

Speaker 1 counting in my head.

Speaker 1 A barista friend of mine

Speaker 1 had told me once

Speaker 1 that the time from starting the flow of water

Speaker 1 to when the espresso emerged,

Speaker 1 which was called first drop,

Speaker 1 should be right around

Speaker 1 eight seconds.

Speaker 1 I wasn't that fussy about my coffee.

Speaker 1 In fact, most days I made it with one eye open.

Speaker 1 But today I was curious.

Speaker 1 How would the sugar affect it?

Speaker 1 Just as I was rounding the tail end of seven,

Speaker 1 a dark chocolate-brown drop

Speaker 1 landed in the bottom of my cup.

Speaker 1 I took it for an omen.

Speaker 1 Today

Speaker 1 would be a good day.

Speaker 1 While my cup filled,

Speaker 1 I wandered into the living room.

Speaker 1 The floorboards were cool under my feet,

Speaker 1 and it registered somewhere inside me

Speaker 1 that that was a sensation I hadn't felt

Speaker 1 in quite a few months.

Speaker 1 I lifted the lid of the turntable

Speaker 1 and flicked through the records beside it.

Speaker 1 Summer music has a very specific flavor.

Speaker 1 The energy of it.

Speaker 1 It's bright

Speaker 1 and yellow and bubbly.

Speaker 1 It wants to be played from the car stereo

Speaker 1 with the windows rolled down.

Speaker 1 But today it felt right

Speaker 1 to play some autumn music,

Speaker 1 the kind that

Speaker 1 was a bit more atmospheric,

Speaker 1 pensive,

Speaker 1 moody.

Speaker 1 If summer music made you dance,

Speaker 1 autumn tunes

Speaker 1 had you looking pensively out

Speaker 1 at the falling leaves.

Speaker 1 I pulled out an album I'd first heard

Speaker 1 nearly twenty years before

Speaker 1 a man's voice,

Speaker 1 a paired-down band behind him.

Speaker 1 The songs warm and melancholy

Speaker 1 and steady.

Speaker 1 I blew dust from the vinyl

Speaker 1 and laid it on the player.

Speaker 1 Looked close

Speaker 1 to set the needle in the groove

Speaker 1 without scratching it,

Speaker 1 and sighed as the familiar notes

Speaker 1 began to play.

Speaker 1 Back in the kitchen,

Speaker 1 I wrapped my hands around my cup

Speaker 1 and breathed in the sweet, trickly perfume.

Speaker 1 Oh, it was delicious.

Speaker 1 And I remembered

Speaker 1 I'd bought a few muffins at the bakery the day before

Speaker 1 and went to sort through the white paper bag on the kitchen table.

Speaker 1 I couldn't quite tell

Speaker 1 what the flavor was

Speaker 1 just from the scent.

Speaker 1 Something fruity,

Speaker 1 something spicy.

Speaker 1 But when I broke one open and tasted it,

Speaker 1 I recognized ginger

Speaker 1 and pear.

Speaker 1 The muffins were soft

Speaker 1 and tender as cake inside

Speaker 1 and chewy on the edges,

Speaker 1 just like I liked them.

Speaker 1 As I rinsed my cup in the sink

Speaker 1 and washed the crumbs from my fingers,

Speaker 1 I heard crows cawing in the distance.

Speaker 1 I pictured them claiming their territory

Speaker 1 in the empty cornfield down the road.

Speaker 1 And as their cries died out,

Speaker 1 I noticed how quiet the world was.

Speaker 1 The sound of crickets and June bugs

Speaker 1 had been so constant

Speaker 1 for so many weeks

Speaker 1 that I'd stopped hearing it.

Speaker 1 The absence of their song felt like a relief,

Speaker 1 like when a squealing car alarm is suddenly quelled.

Speaker 1 Then the wind blew again,

Speaker 1 and I listened to that.

Speaker 1 One of my favorite sounds

Speaker 1 the rustling succeration of leaves

Speaker 1 and branches shifting.

Speaker 1 From the clothes line,

Speaker 1 a faint ringing came

Speaker 1 the end of a dangling cord

Speaker 1 striking the metal post.

Speaker 1 It reminded me of an afternoon I'd spent on a sailboat,

Speaker 1 the way the wind rang through the rigging and sailcloth.

Speaker 1 What would I do with my day

Speaker 1 in this new autumn world?

Speaker 1 Well,

Speaker 1 I'd certainly open every window in the house

Speaker 1 that was still closed.

Speaker 1 I'd hang sheets on the line

Speaker 1 and let them crisp in the breeze.

Speaker 1 I wanted to sweep the porch

Speaker 1 and stack firewood in the shed,

Speaker 1 fill the bird feeders

Speaker 1 and make a pot of soup.

Speaker 1 I could take a long walk

Speaker 1 and listen to more records

Speaker 1 or just sit

Speaker 1 on my front steps

Speaker 1 and watch the wind blow.

Speaker 1 Oh, what a gift

Speaker 1 this season was.

Speaker 1 Sweet dreams.