Listen To Sleep - Quiet Bedtime Stories & Meditations

A sleepy reading of part two of the Charles Dickens holiday classic. We'll have another chapter each week in December until we finish with chapter five on Christmas Eve.  I'm so grateful to all of you for helping me live out my dreams in 2021. I wrote about it in the blog this week and posted a video about the importance of dreams at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/dreams-do-come-true/ .&n...

By multiple requests, a sleepy reading of the Charles Dickens holiday classic.  I took another sunrise walk with Bodhi this week. When the fog broke, we got a beautiful view of the moon setting behind the ridge. I posted some pictures and a video on the blog at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/sunrise-moonset/ .  If the podcast helps you sleep, would you consider supporting it with $1...

A sweet, sleepy story about a Thanksgiving surprise in early 1900s Boston.  I took a walk up the hill to watch the sunrise this week and it filled me with gratitude. I wrote a bit about it and put some pictures and a video on the blog at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/sunrise-gratitude/ .  If the podcast helps you sleep, would you consider supporting it with $1 a month? You'll get ne...

A sleepy fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a tiny girl and her magical life, by request for a patreon supporter. I took a magical hike with Bodhi and Bandit, who's visiting with us this week, to leave a couple of gifts at the local fairy houses. There are some pictures and a video on the blog at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/dont-forget-the-magic/ . If the podcast helps you sleep, w...

A sleepy classic by Anton Chekov about a morning in the life of a late 19th century schoolmistress in tsarist Russia. Bodhi and I took a few hikes searching for some red-bellied newts this week. If you want to see what they look like, there are some pictures and a video on the blog at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/no-newts-isnt-good-news/ . If the podcast helps you sleep, please consider supp...

A sleepy tale about how cats and people might first have come to live together.  We got over a foot of rain this week, and the waterfall was as wild as I've ever seen it. If you want to see a picture and some video, it's on the blog this week at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/the-waterfall/ .  If the podcast helps you sleep, please consider supporting it with $1 a month. You'll get n...

A sleepy, bittersweet fairy tale about two star-crossed lovers by Hans Christian Andersen.  This week it has starting pouring rain here on the mountain. Bodhi and I took a walk during a short sunny break from the deluge this morning to get some pictures of some of the changes the rain brings. If you'd like, you can see them on the blog at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/hard-rain/ . ...

A sweet, sleepy story by Katherine Mansfield about a young country woman's outing to her first ball in the big city.  This week I took a class online with Dr. Gabor Maté and his teaching on healing trauma and compassionate inquiry moved me deeply. I wrote a bit about it in the blog as well as how I saw those issues so clearly through the characters in Scenes From A Marriage on HBO when Joe an...

This is a free preview of Listen To Sleep Plus. We just finished Peter Pan, and now we're starting The Children of Odin, a great book of Norse tales.  You can subscribe to Listen To Sleep Plus at https://patreon.com/listentosleep . You'll get new chapters of The Children of Odin over the coming weeks and then other longer books read serially in these Wednesday night episodes: that's a total o...

A sleepy fairy tale pitting the power of a mother's love against a dark witch and her monsters.  This week on the mountain, we had a visit from a river otter and a family of black bears. You can see a picture and some videos on the blog at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/otters-bears/ .  If the podcast helps you sleep, please consider supporting it with $1 a month. You'll get new...

A sleepy (and not too creepy) werewolf romance for spooky season; think Romeo meets Mr. Hyde.  Our outdoor commode had a couple cute little visitors who got there before me this morning, and we were all a bit surprised when I lifted the lid. There's a picture of them along with a video of some band-tailed pigeons I took on a walk with Bodhi this week on the blog at https://www.listentosleep.c...

A mystical tale about an old man living in the woods who builds a chess set that changes his life.  Thank you for all of your well wishes, good vibes and rain dances! We just had our first rain of the season this week. I took a couple pictures and a short video as the rain was tapering off. You can see that and more about life up here on the mountain on the blog at https://www.listentosleep.c...

A sleepy classic by E.M. Forster read by singer/songwriter Kristof Hajos.  Kristof and I were introduced virtually by a mutual friend last year. He is a singer/lyricist/writer living in Amsterdam and his work touches me deeply. I want to share some of it with you in this episode, so it starts with one of his recent songs and then Kristof reads one of his favorite stories for you in his beauti...

A sleepy (not scary) ghost story about a woman's search for a message from her lost husband.  Cwtches are the topic on the blog this week. In our family, it's our black cat Ninja who can't get enough of them. There are a couple of very cute pics of him getting cwtches from me and Joe at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/cwtches/ .  If the podcast helps you sleep, please consider support...

A sleepy viking tale about Odin's search for wisdom and a magical wolf who would not be tamed.  The first hints of autumn are in the air here on the mountain. I wrote a bit about it and put up a few pictures on the blog at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/hints-of-autumn/ . There's also a short video I made to help you have a moment of peace during the day. If the podcast helps you sle...

A sleepy fairy tale about a good-hearted fairy who tries to help, but winds up making things a little worse first. Joe and I planted some raspberries down by the creek this year with the hope that their roots will reach the creek water level next year. They still need a little help, so I took a video of our late afternoon walk to water them by hand. You can watch it on my tiktok or on the blog at...

From Thoreau's Walden, a story about life in the country and the importance of solitude. It was a sad week on the mountain, and the community is mourning the loss of a wonderful neighbor, father, grandfather and husband. I wrote a bit about our neighbor, Greg, and what he meant to all of us on the blog this week. It's at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/a-life-well-lived/ .  If the podcast...

A sleepy tale about a couple on a drive through the Welsh countryside who come upon a slightly bizarre but friendly inn. This week we had a couple Oak Titmouse babies leave the nest their mother built on our porch. You can see a picture of them and find a link to learn a little more about Oak Titmice on the blog at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/leaving-the-nest/ . If the podcast helps you sle...

Sleepy musings on summer & nature by Walt Whitman in an extended episode recorded outside on a summer evening. It's been very hot and smoky here on the mountain, and this was a bit of  a difficult week for me. I wrote about why and what I'm learning from  these challenges on the blog at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/facing-a-fire/ .  If the podcast helps you sleep and you'd...

The sleepy classic about a toy rabbit who becomes real.  Another one of my best friends came for a visit this week and brought his 'best friend,' Ozzy, to teach him how to swim. It was so much fun! I put a picture of the pups and some video up on the blog at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/learning-to-swim/ .  If the podcast helps you sleep and you'd like to support my mission to help...

A sleepy Viking tale where Thor and Loki try to best the king of the giants.  This week I'm celebrating the podcast reaching the one million download mark. Thank you so much for being a part of that. 🙏💖  If the podcast helps you sleep and you'd like to support my mission to help more people get better sleep, you can do that at https://www.listentosleep.com/support .  You can read...

A sleepy fairy tale about a prince who gets lost in the woods and finds a new home on a magical horse.  There's a Sierran treefrog living in the drain of our outdoor bathtub who likes to shower with us. You can see a video of it on the blog at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/bath-tub-frog/ .  At the website, you can also search and listen to over 100 quiet bedtime stories for free. Th...

An old Persian fairy tale about a poor boy who gets lost in the desert and falls in love with a princess.  Joe found a rattlesnake in the garden this week. If you want to see a picture of it and read about how we handle venomous snakes here on the mountain, I wrote about it in the blog this week at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/rattlesnakes-in-the-grass/ .  If the podcast helps you...

A great sleepy short story about a writer in Victorian Paris, with a supernatural twist.  We got a visit from a black bear down by the creek last week, and it was awesome. I posted some pictures taken by one of my best friends on the blog at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/bears-by-the-swimming-hole/ .  If the podcast helps you sleep, would you support my mission to help more people g...

A sleepy Seneca Native American tale about a magical journey to adulthood and marriage.  It's been very hot here on the mountain, and we've been spending lots of time at the swimming hole. We even got a visit from a black bear down there one day. Find pictures taken by one of my best friends, Chris (he's also a fantastic photographer) on the blog at https://www.listentosleep.com/blog/bears-by...