Hearts & Flowers (Encore)

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Speaker 1 Welcome to Bedtime Stories for Grownups,

Speaker 1 in which nothing much happens.

Speaker 1 You feel good.

Speaker 1 And then you fall asleep.

Speaker 1 I'm Catherine Nicolai.

Speaker 1 I write and read all the stories you hear on Nothing Much Happens.

Speaker 1 Audio Engineering is by Bob Wittersheim.

Speaker 1 My book, also called Nothing Much Happens, is available wherever books are sold. Thank you for your support.

Speaker 1 Let's get ready to sleep.

Speaker 1 I'll read you a simple cozy story.

Speaker 1 It's a place to rest your mind. and when your mind rests, your body inevitably will follow.

Speaker 1 I'll read the story twice, and I'll go a little slower on the second read.

Speaker 1 Just follow along with the sound of my voice and the cozy details of the story.

Speaker 1 Pull them around yourself, as you would a soft blanket.

Speaker 1 And if you wake in the night, take yourself back into the story,

Speaker 1 thinking back through any bit you can remember.

Speaker 1 This trains your brain to return to sleep mode.

Speaker 1 And the more you practice it, the easier you will find it.

Speaker 1 Our story tonight is called Hearts and Flowers.

Speaker 1 And it's a story about showing someone. what's in your heart.

Speaker 1 It's also about a Valentine's Day card signed with a flourish,

Speaker 1 a shop full of flowers,

Speaker 1 and the moment that you decide to take a risk.

Speaker 1 Now,

Speaker 1 it's time to switch off the light.

Speaker 1 Set aside anything you've been looking at or working on.

Speaker 1 Adjust your pillows and comforter until you feel completely at ease.

Speaker 1 If you sometimes clench your jaw as you sleep,

Speaker 1 try resting the tip of your tongue at the place where your upper teeth meet the gums on the inside.

Speaker 1 That will help to keep your jaw relaxed.

Speaker 1 Now you are about to fall asleep.

Speaker 1 You will sleep deeply all night.

Speaker 1 Take a deep breath in through your nose

Speaker 1 and sigh out of the mouth.

Speaker 1 Again, breathe in

Speaker 1 and out.

Speaker 1 Good.

Speaker 1 Hearts and flowers

Speaker 1 I had been standing in line at the market,

Speaker 1 a basket in my hands, overflowing with all my favorite things to put into vegetable soup.

Speaker 1 I was wrapped in my scarf and coat,

Speaker 1 and watching the family in front of me as they unloaded their cart onto the checkout belt.

Speaker 1 They had a little boy,

Speaker 1 maybe seven or eight.

Speaker 1 He'd been talking about science class and dancing around the cart

Speaker 1 in the unembarrassed way that children are smart enough to do.

Speaker 1 He stopped suddenly in front of a shelf of valentines,

Speaker 1 and I watched his face as he looked at the cards and candy.

Speaker 1 He looked like he was thinking hard.

Speaker 1 He picked up a box of those tiny candy hearts,

Speaker 1 the ones with messages printed on their pastel chalky faces.

Speaker 1 He shook the box and the hearts rattled inside.

Speaker 1 He peeked over at his dad, who was quietly watching from the register.

Speaker 1 He lifted an eyebrow and the little boy tilted his head in a silent question and answer.

Speaker 1 His dad gave him a tiny nod and the boy slipped the box onto the belt

Speaker 1 beside a can of tomatoes and a box of spaghetti.

Speaker 1 The boy tucked his hands in his coat pockets and stood with back against the cart.

Speaker 1 I thought he might be planning just how and when

Speaker 1 and to whom he was going to give that box of candy hearts.

Speaker 1 I remembered those class Valentine's Day parties in elementary school.

Speaker 1 Paper lunch sacks taped to the edge of your desk, with your name and red crayon sketched out on the brown paper

Speaker 1 and walking through the rows dropping envelopes into the sacks

Speaker 1 and a plate of cupcakes on the teacher's desk for after

Speaker 1 i remembered the deliberation the night before

Speaker 1 thumbing through the cards to find just the right one

Speaker 1 for that particular classmate

Speaker 1 writing my name with careful curly cues

Speaker 1 and adding an extra sticker to the envelope.

Speaker 1 Would they notice?

Speaker 1 The family was packing up their groceries,

Speaker 1 and as the box of candy came across the scanner, the boy's father scooped it up and handed it to him.

Speaker 1 He slipped it into the pocket of his coat with a small nod,

Speaker 1 and his father turned back to the register with a smile on his face.

Speaker 1 As they pushed their cart out to the car,

Speaker 1 the smile went from his face to mine,

Speaker 1 and I put a box of candy on the belt with my own groceries,

Speaker 1 thinking that if that little boy could be brave with his heart,

Speaker 1 I could too.

Speaker 1 Now that box of hearts sat on my desk for a week.

Speaker 1 It caught my eye whenever I passed by.

Speaker 1 And to day, as I sat at my desk writing in my planner, my fingers gently drumming on the pink cardboard,

Speaker 1 I looked out my window to see a delivery person standing on my neighbor's front step,

Speaker 1 a bouquet of flowers in her hands.

Speaker 1 I watched her ring the bell

Speaker 1 and sat with that warm bloom of excitement for someone else's joy

Speaker 1 as I waited for my neighbor to open her door.

Speaker 1 I watched her face as she did,

Speaker 1 the second of confusion that shifted to delight,

Speaker 1 and the unstoppable smile that lit up her face.

Speaker 1 She signed for the flowers and nearly took the pen back with her into her house.

Speaker 1 Laughing, she returned it, blushing and flustered.

Speaker 1 I looked at those candy hearts and slipped them into my pocket and headed out.

Speaker 1 There was a flower shop on an alley downtown.

Speaker 1 The windows were full of vases of long-stemmed roses, and lilies about to bloom.

Speaker 1 I pushed through the old oak door, and the scent of all those mixed blossoms struck me.

Speaker 1 There were layers of different kinds of sweetness,

Speaker 1 and under that the smell of water and soil and green plants.

Speaker 1 Could the smell of flowers be a kind of medicine?

Speaker 1 Like a tincture or salve for lifting spirits and elevating thoughts?

Speaker 1 It was a busy place on this February afternoon,

Speaker 1 and as I browsed through the cases of flowers and shelves of houseplants,

Speaker 1 I moved around others on the same errand.

Speaker 1 There was an older gentleman, dressed in a tweed suit, dapper and proud, with shined shoes and a pocket square folded just so in his breast pocket.

Speaker 1 The florist was wrapping up a bouquet for him,

Speaker 1 tucking baby's breath and pink and yellow tulips in crepe paper and tying it with a glossy ribbon.

Speaker 1 While he waited, he sidled up to me as I was looking at the pots of exotic plants and succulents.

Speaker 1 There was one that I had at first mistaken for a Venus flytrap,

Speaker 1 whose arrow-shaped leaves were fringed with tiny green clamshells that seemed likely to clap together at a touch.

Speaker 1 The gentleman cleared his throat and said,

Speaker 1 Callan Coe, Degramantiana,

Speaker 1 or

Speaker 1 Mother of Thousands.

Speaker 1 I tilted my head in question,

Speaker 1 and he reached out to touch the leaf tipped with plantlets.

Speaker 1 As he did, a few small buds fell easily from the plant to land in the soil below.

Speaker 1 That's how her children leave the nest and grow up, he said.

Speaker 1 The florist called over to say his bouquet was ready,

Speaker 1 and I gave him a smile as he took it and left.

Speaker 1 I went back to looking for just the right flower,

Speaker 1 something that felt akin to the person I would give it to.

Speaker 1 That's the heart of romance, isn't it?

Speaker 1 Showing someone that you are paying attention to who they are

Speaker 1 and reflecting it back with appreciation and a bit of excitement.

Speaker 1 It wasn't, I supposed, any different

Speaker 1 than looking through my stack of Valentine's cards in second grade

Speaker 1 to find just the right one to add that extra sticker to.

Speaker 1 There was a vase of feathery flowers and shades of light pink and cream and deep red.

Speaker 1 They were a bit like a fern who had given up on being just green

Speaker 1 and bloomed in a lacy, soft plume.

Speaker 1 The florist caught my eye,

Speaker 1 and I asked for all of them to be wrapped up in tissue and tied with a satin ribbon.

Speaker 1 This was no time for doing things by half.

Speaker 1 As I walked through the streets on my way to a particular stoop,

Speaker 1 I thought about the little boy dropping that box of candy in a paper sack taped to a school desk,

Speaker 1 and my neighbor opening her door, and the gentleman in the shop with his flowers.

Speaker 1 In love

Speaker 1 we must risk some hurt,

Speaker 1 but better that than holding inside something that should be shared.

Speaker 1 I stepped up to the door and made my heart brave

Speaker 1 and rang the bell.

Speaker 1 Hearts and flowers.

Speaker 1 I'd been standing in line at the market,

Speaker 1 a basket in my hands,

Speaker 1 overflowing with all my favorite things put into vegetable soup.

Speaker 1 I was wrapped in my scarf and coat,

Speaker 1 and watching the family in front of me as they unloaded their cart onto the checkout belt.

Speaker 1 They had a little boy,

Speaker 1 maybe seven or eight.

Speaker 1 He'd been talking about science class

Speaker 1 and dancing around the cart

Speaker 1 in the unembarrassed way that children are smart enough to do.

Speaker 1 He stopped suddenly in front of a shelf of Valentine's,

Speaker 1 and I watched his face as he looked at the cards and candy.

Speaker 1 He looked like he was thinking hard.

Speaker 1 He picked up a box of those tiny candy hearts,

Speaker 1 the ones with messages printed on their pastel, chalky faces.

Speaker 1 He shook the box,

Speaker 1 and the hearts rattled inside.

Speaker 1 He peeked peeked over at his dad,

Speaker 1 who was quietly watching from the register.

Speaker 1 He lifted an eyebrow,

Speaker 1 and the little boy tilted his head in a silent question and answer.

Speaker 1 His dad gave him a tiny nod,

Speaker 1 and the boy slipped the box onto the belt beside a can of tomatoes and a box of spaghetti.

Speaker 1 The boy tucked his hands in his coat pockets

Speaker 1 and stood with back against the cart.

Speaker 1 I thought he might be planning just how

Speaker 1 and when

Speaker 1 and to whom he was going to give that box of candy hearts.

Speaker 1 I remembered those class Valentine's Day parties in elementary school.

Speaker 1 Paper lunch sacks taped to the edge of your desk with your name and red crayon sketched out on the brown paper.

Speaker 1 And walking through the rows,

Speaker 1 dropping envelopes into the sacks,

Speaker 1 and a plate of cupcakes on the teacher's desk for after.

Speaker 1 I remembered the deliberation the night before,

Speaker 1 thumbing through the cards to find just the right one for that particular classmate,

Speaker 1 writing my name with careful curly cues and adding an extra sticker to the envelope.

Speaker 1 Would they notice?

Speaker 1 The family was packing up their groceries,

Speaker 1 and as the box of candy came across the scanner,

Speaker 1 the boy's father scooped it up and handed it to him.

Speaker 1 He slipped it into the pocket of his coat with a small nod,

Speaker 1 and his father turned back to the register with a smile on his face.

Speaker 1 As they pushed their cart out to the car,

Speaker 1 the smile went from his face to mine.

Speaker 1 And I put a box of candy on the belt with my own groceries,

Speaker 1 thinking that if that little boy could be brave with his heart, I could too.

Speaker 1 Now, that box of hearts sat on my desk for a week.

Speaker 1 It caught my eye whenever I passed by.

Speaker 1 And today,

Speaker 1 as I sat at my desk writing in my planner,

Speaker 1 my fingers gently drumming on the pink cardboard,

Speaker 1 I looked out my window to see a delivery person standing on my neighbor's front step,

Speaker 1 a bouquet of flowers in her hands.

Speaker 1 I watched her ring the bell

Speaker 1 and sat with that warm bloom of excitement for someone else's joy

Speaker 1 as I waited for my neighbor to open her door.

Speaker 1 I watched her face as she did,

Speaker 1 the second of confusion that shifted to delight,

Speaker 1 and the unstoppable smile that lit up her face.

Speaker 1 She signed for the flowers

Speaker 1 and nearly took the pen back with her into her house.

Speaker 1 Laughing, she returned it, blushing and flustered.

Speaker 1 I looked at those candy hearts

Speaker 1 and slipped them into my pocket and headed out.

Speaker 1 There was a flower shop on an alley downtown.

Speaker 1 The windows were full of vases of long stemmed roses and lilies about to bloom.

Speaker 1 I pushed through the old oak door,

Speaker 1 and the scent of all those mixed blossoms struck me.

Speaker 1 There were layers of different kinds of sweetness,

Speaker 1 and under that the smell of water and soil and green plants.

Speaker 1 Could the smell of flowers be a kind of medicine?

Speaker 1 Like a tincture or salve for lifting spirits and elevating thoughts.

Speaker 1 It was a busy place on this February afternoon,

Speaker 1 and as I browsed through the cases of flowers and shelves of houseplants,

Speaker 1 I moved around others on the same errand.

Speaker 1 There was an older gentleman

Speaker 1 dressed in a tweed suit, dapper and proud,

Speaker 1 with shine shoes,

Speaker 1 and a pocket square folded just so in his breast pocket.

Speaker 1 The florist was wrapping up a bouquet for him,

Speaker 1 tucking baby's breath and pink and yellow tulips in crepe paper and tying it with a glossy ribbon.

Speaker 1 While he waited, he sidled up to me as I was looking at the pots of exotic plants and succulents.

Speaker 1 There was one that I had first mistaken for a Venus flytrap

Speaker 1 whose arrow-shaped leaves were fringed with tiny green clamshells

Speaker 1 that seemed likely to clap together at a touch.

Speaker 1 The gentleman cleared his throat and said,

Speaker 1 Callancoe de Grimantiana,

Speaker 1 or

Speaker 1 Mother of thousands.

Speaker 1 I tilted my head in question,

Speaker 1 and he reached out to touch the leaf, tipped with plantlets.

Speaker 1 As he did,

Speaker 1 a few small buds fell easily from the plant to land in the soil below.

Speaker 1 That's how her children leave the nest nest and grow up, he said.

Speaker 1 The florist called over to say his bouquet was ready,

Speaker 1 and I gave him a smile as he took it and left.

Speaker 1 And I went back to looking for just the right flower,

Speaker 1 something that felt akin to the person I would give it to.

Speaker 1 That's the heart of romance, isn't it?

Speaker 1 Showing someone that you are paying attention to who they are

Speaker 1 and reflecting it back with appreciation

Speaker 1 and a bit of excitement.

Speaker 1 It wasn't, I supposed,

Speaker 1 any different than looking through my stack of Valentine's cards in second grade

Speaker 1 to find just the right one to add that extra sticker to.

Speaker 1 There was a vase of feathery flowers

Speaker 1 and shades of light pink and cream

Speaker 1 and deep red.

Speaker 1 They were a bit like a fern who had given up on just being green and bloomed in a lacy, soft plume.

Speaker 1 The florist caught my eye,

Speaker 1 and I asked for all of them

Speaker 1 to be wrapped up in tissue

Speaker 1 and tied with a satin ribbon.

Speaker 1 This was no time for doing things by half.

Speaker 1 As I walked through the streets on my way to a particular stoop,

Speaker 1 I thought about the little boy

Speaker 1 dropping that box of candy in a paper sack taped to a school desk,

Speaker 1 and my neighbor opening her door,

Speaker 1 and the gentleman in the shop with his flowers.

Speaker 1 In love,

Speaker 1 we must risk some hurt,

Speaker 1 but better that

Speaker 1 than holding inside something that should be shared.

Speaker 1 I stepped up to the door

Speaker 1 and made my heart brave

Speaker 1 and rang the bell.

Speaker 1 sweet dreams.