Hello my friend,
Welcome to your sleep story.
My name is Stephen Dalton and it's my privilege to be the voice that you listen to as you go to sleep tonight.
In tonight's story,
We'll be continuing this series entitled Wanderings of an Irish Man Abroad.
These are stories based on personal experiences of mine when travelling this beautiful planet.
Tonight's story will bring us to my homeland and to a very special island visit that I made back in 2018.
Now,
It's time for you to get relaxed.
Just begin by noticing the breath.
Notice it as it enters and leaves your body.
It doesn't ask anything of you.
It is simply your breath.
Now feel the support beneath you.
Feel yourself supported by the earth.
Allow a little gratitude in this moment.
Right now,
You have everything you need.
Your day is done.
It's time to let go.
You are safe.
Everything is okay.
And you deserve this moment.
Let's just gently move through a few different body parts.
And allow any and all tension to melt away.
Starting with your feet.
Your feet have worked hard today.
Give them permission to relax now.
Your legs.
Notice anything there.
And just let it all go.
Your belly.
Are you holding anything here?
Imagine the tension floating up and away from you.
It's gone now.
Maybe see it as a color.
Or like a cloud.
Your chest.
Let anything that's holding your chest be released now.
Your hands.
Another hardworking part of your body.
Let any and all tension go now.
Your shoulders now.
Allow them to relax.
Your neck.
Your face.
Are you holding anything in your forehead?
As I take you.
The year was 2018.
It was summertime.
I remember that summer well.
In Ireland,
We don't always get the best weather.
But that summer was exceptionally beautiful.
My enjoyment was only heightened by the fact that in that time,
I met the woman who would become my wife.
Her name is Rebecca.
And as we had only met,
And we were getting to know each other,
I wanted to show her the best of Ireland,
As she's not from the country originally.
I decided to take her to one of my favorite parts of the island.
In fact,
It's an island off the main island,
And it is called Inishmore.
Ireland has a west coast,
An east coast,
A north coast,
And a south coast.
But people would be most familiar with the west coast.
That's not to say the other coasts aren't beautiful.
But when you see videos or photos of Ireland,
And you see the ocean crashing against dramatic rocks,
You are more than likely looking at the west coast.
There are many islands all around Ireland,
And there are three that are among the most well-known.
They are a group of islands off the west coast called the Aran Islands.
Inishmore means big island.
Inishman means middle island.
But Inishere means east island.
You can reach the islands by air and by sea,
And on that summer's morning in 2018,
We decided to go by sea.
We boarded the ferry from Galway and ventured out into the Atlantic Ocean.
I remember the morning clearly.
It was misty,
And we sat on top of the deck,
The sea's spray kissing our faces.
The smells I remember too,
The unmistakable smell of the ocean.
I felt at peace.
I felt happy to be sharing a beautiful moment with another human being.
I felt free,
Like life was going my way.
Breathing in that moment,
Deep ocean breaths,
And savoring the opportunity to be completely present.
A special moment when some dolphins appeared at the side of the ferry.
Smilingly swimming along with us.
Welcome,
Friends,
To the joy of that moment.
I remember the islands coming into sight.
After maybe an hour or so,
I can't be completely sure.
Feeling excited about staying a few nights on this haven.
The Aran Islands is a place that is steeped in tradition.
One of the most amazing things is that the people on the islands still converse with their daily lives in this beautiful,
Poetic,
Ancient language of the Irish.
We eventually arrived in the port,
But it's very tiny.
The boat docked,
We disembarked the ferry along with others.
So,
We needed to get to our cottage,
The one we had booked for the time we would stay there.
We had some bags with us,
So,
Hiring bicycles wasn't an option.
However,
We did speak with the men there in the bicycle place.
Told them where we were staying.
And they told us that later in the day,
They would deliver us bicycles.
So,
We would have them at the cottage.
People here are very friendly.
This wasn't my first time on the island,
But it was Rebecca's.
And I took great joy in showing her this place.
Who had a horse and cart.
We spoke with him.
I think his name was Michael.
He agreed that him and his horse would take us to our cottage.
It would take about 45 minutes along the little,
Narrow roads.
And there it was.
Was the sun starting to shine.
And the views.
With these two other humans.
One being Rebecca.
The other,
This nice,
Friendly old man.
As we went along,
We asked him about his life.
Inhabited by,
He seemed to love it.
I think one of the things he liked best,
Was the fact that he didn't have to live by the clock.
Didn't really exist for him.
As we continued along the coast road.
And the mountains of Connemara.
On the mainland of Ireland,
In the distance.
I breathed in this moment.
Realizing.
Even the horse was friendly.
And seemed to welcome us there.
All of the signs were telling me.
That Rebecca and I were going in a good direction.
Soon,
We arrived.
For the next few nights.
It was with a thatched roof.
And an open fireplace.
And turf,
A very traditional fuel.
Used for burning fires in Ireland.
The little house had a beautiful garden.
From the kitchen window.
You could see the mountains of Connemara.
And the turquoise blue.
Shallow Atlantic waters.
Surrounding the island.
Long morning of traveling.
It was time to swim in the ocean.
Heading to the unusually white sand beach.
With me.
There is no hesitation.
And so I ran into the ocean.
Laughed at me.
And watched from the beach.
There is something about.
It is healing.
It is nourishing.
It is life supporting.
I feel like I am missing a part of me.
We sat out under the stars.
And I read.
From the great play.
By J.
M.
Singh.
The playboy of the western world.
J.
M.
Singh.
Stayed on the island for a time.
And I think he loved it.
As much as I do.
Connemara.
The stars.
Shine brighter.
And clearer.
Than most places on planet earth.
I think.
They certainly seem to anyway.
Looking up at the stars.
You really feel alive.
Like you live on a planet.
The next few days.
Were quite honestly.
Some of the best.
The best days.
I have ever lived.
We ate beautiful food.
We wrote.
We drew.
We journaled.
We fell in love.
We cycled everywhere.
And there is a very famous place.
When we were there.
We thought we should go again.
So Rebecca could see it.
But when we got to the entrance.
It was.
Very busy.
And so.
We kept on cycling.
Along the quiet roads.
You don't often see cars on these roads.
As you cycle them.
They kind of.
Feel like your own private road.
The sun was shining brightly.
That day.
And took in the rocky landscape around us.
And the blue of the ocean beyond.
Eventually.
We went a little off road.
We climbed some walls.
Left our bikes behind.
And soon.
We were sitting.
On our very own.
Private cliff.
Looking out.
Over the ocean.
Without a single person.
Near us.
It gives me.
A lot of joy.
To go back.
To that time.
In my head.
To share it.
And to remember.
It is.
In those.
Simple.
Life enriching moments.
Things will come and go.
But relationships.
Gratitude.
Are some of the greatest ingredients.
Of life.
