Welcome to Sleepy Adventures,
And here we are.
For our sleepy adventure tonight,
We're going to meet Andy by the campfire.
But first,
You can come along in my car,
And we'll have a nice,
Relaxing drive.
Then we can take a moment to overlook the sea,
Just before getting to that campfire.
Are you ready?
This bird song,
It won't be around for long,
As the dusk sets in.
The crickets will come out,
Just in time for when we get to that campfire.
Come on,
Let's walk down this track to start our journey.
Isn't the weather beautiful?
I'm eager for what tonight's sleepy adventure will have in store for you.
There's a wisdom from campfires,
If we allow it.
Actually,
The wisdom comes from deep within you.
It can be a spiritual experience for you,
If you want.
Let's just see what happens.
Okay,
Here it is.
My car.
Do you like it?
Let's go for that drive.
I'm so happy to be here with you on this journey together.
Thank you for sharing this with me.
Oh wow,
Can you feel how smooth the road is?
It's mesmerizing.
Just perfect.
Are you okay to have the windows down?
As we get around this bend,
We'll see this road will climb a hill.
Then at the top is a lookout,
Where we can see the sea,
And maybe have a little mindfulness practice before we meet Andy.
Here it is,
Right at the top.
I'll pull over now,
And we should be able to see the sea.
What a treat.
I can just about make out the sound.
It's so far away.
Let's relax,
Shall we?
We can have a little mindfulness practice,
Just for a few moments.
Are you ready?
I love this so much.
Holding a soft gaze,
You might want to just notice what you can see in front of you.
Allow yourself to bring soft,
Curious awareness to three of the most obvious things that stand out to you,
Paying attention to each one for a few seconds.
Noticing the space around these objects.
Noticing any stillness around any movement that you may see in this moment.
Notice how your awareness gently expands for this,
If you bring soft,
Curious awareness,
Allowing your eyes to hold that soft gaze.
Gently holding that soft gaze,
See what it's like without moving your eyes.
Keep looking gently ahead,
And start horizontally,
From left to right,
Expanding your awareness without moving your eyes.
Now see what it's like to do the same vertically,
From top to bottom,
Not moving your eyes,
But noticing the entire scope of what you can see in this moment.
Expand your awareness of sight now,
So that the scope of this is fully stretched out in all directions,
Horizontally and vertically.
There is a you here now,
Fully conscious,
For a few seconds,
And then the mind comes in.
Choosing to notice the space around everything that you can see.
Choosing to notice the space around everything that you can hear.
The sounds coming from the silence.
Good job.
Now,
Over the other side,
Through those trees,
Is Andy's campfire.
It's getting dark now.
Are you ready?
Let's go.
Come on.
Here it is.
Hey Reuben.
Hey Andy.
You're right on time as always.
Good to see you my friend.
And who's this?
This is my friend.
Someone who really enjoys a sleepy adventure they could do with a good rest.
And I know you'll be able to help,
Right?
Of course.
Hey there traveller.
Come and join me by my campfire and you can wind down from your day.
Well,
I'm going to be off now.
Enjoy the fire.
Allow the experience to take you wherever it goes.
Catch you later.
Thanks Reuben.
Safe travels.
First things first,
Let me make you a hot chocolate.
Hold on a sec.
There you go.
Long day,
Hey?
Yeah,
Me too.
We're busy souls,
Aren't we?
But when the shroud of darkness comes and the campfires burn bright,
That's our sign to slow down and stop.
So my friend,
You're very welcome to stop here for the night.
And don't worry about the cold or any unwelcome visitors.
I'll keep the fire going as long as we need it.
I think we might have a bit of rain tonight,
But it's a nice warm evening and I've built a nice canopy for us.
So we'll stay nice and warm and dry.
And there's nothing like a bit of rain to help sleep to find us.
So where do we begin after a long day?
Oh,
You seem a bit troubled.
Is there something on your mind?
It's a silly question really.
Of course there is.
It always happens.
As soon as we settle in for the night and our head hits the pillow,
All those things that have happened in the day come back to greet us.
And not always with a smile.
Hmm.
I think we have a bit of work to do here,
But not too much.
Hang on a sec.
I'll just throw another log on the fire.
Yeah,
The night can bring up our anxieties and our worries,
And we can feel like our life is a bit of a tangled mess at times.
And as soon as one piece of the jigsaw puzzle finally slots into place,
Another piece goes missing.
And if life is a big puzzle,
Then surely completing it just means the end.
That just makes our life one big waiting game.
I don't know about you,
But I don't like the sound of that.
I think we can do better.
This fire tells me so.
Just listen for a moment.
Ah,
Yes.
Our campfire tells the truth.
If you listen carefully to all those crackles and pops,
I think what our campfire is trying to say is that everything that we need is right here.
And right now is just as it should be.
And the ups and downs that come along with our life can just be seen as part of the adventure.
In addition,
What the fire seems to be saying is that we should trust in life a little bit more,
And pay less attention to what our thoughts are saying.
So with that in mind,
If there is something troubling you right now that's holding you from the door of sleep,
Firstly let it be known that you are not alone.
Without doubt,
Many a traveller has experienced woes from time to time.
Maybe in different form,
And to a lesser or greater degree.
But we humans aren't so different.
And secondly,
With anything that troubles you right now,
Whether it be a thought,
An emotion,
Something you're feeling in your body right now,
If you want to,
You can hand it over to the night,
And the night can take care of it for you.
Or you can place it down by these glowing embers,
And then see the lay of the land in the morning.
And trusting that whatever it is that troubles you,
Will find its way.
The truth is,
We never really know how things are going to turn out.
So my traveller friend,
Let those thoughts be.
They might want to stay around as you fall asleep,
But there's nothing for you to do right now.
You can rest your weary head,
And your tired body,
And allow it to sink a little bit deeper into the ground.
And the Taoist way is to say,
Do your work,
Then let go.
And your work is done for today.
All that's left is to let go,
Allow your whole body to soften.
And when your body and mind are ready,
You can drift off into a deep,
Deep sleep.
I'll keep this campfire warm.
All you need to do is simply listen to the crackle of the fire,
The sounds of the night.
Nothing else to do.
Softening to all that comes your way.
For tonight,
There is magic in the air.
And everything is unknown.
And everything is possible.
And the night holds our solace.
Our time for healing.
Our time to recover.
To find our ground.
To find our strength and our courage.
And to be with our vulnerability too.
And letting your body sink a little bit deeper into your bed.
Dropping down,
Down.
Letting go.
Allowing yourself to fall into a deep,
Deep sleep.
And if sleep doesn't come easy tonight,
That's okay.
I'll just keep this fire going for you.
Sweet dreams.
