Make yourself comfortable in your favorite position for falling asleep and close your eyes.
Take a slow,
Full,
Deep breath and let it go.
Take a minute to set aside the day,
Letting go of all that happened,
And begin your gentle transition into sleep.
Take another slow,
Full,
Deep breath and breathe out any tension or stress.
Any thoughts that come,
Just gently acknowledge them and allow them to float on by.
All there is to do now is to allow yourself to relax,
To rest,
And to be refreshed.
Imagine walking down a dusty country road late in the afternoon.
The warm sun is comfortably shining at your back and you can feel a cool gentle breeze on your face.
Both sides of the road are lined with old tall trees and you notice their gnarled and twisted trunks.
Among the trees are various different types of wildflowers in a variety of colors.
You take several deep breaths as you enjoy their sweet scent and continue on your journey.
Just beyond the trees are beautiful green grass pastures filled with sheep,
Many of them with their young.
You watch as several of the youngsters are running circles around their mothers,
Playing like a game of tag.
After a while,
They all run back to their mothers where they rest in the shade.
As you come around a bend in the road,
You approach a driveway off to your left.
To one side of the driveway sits a mailbox with a sign,
Guesthouse.
You head down the driveway and see a weathered old two-story farmhouse.
It has a covered porch that surrounds the house with seating and a wonderful old bench swing.
The property used to be a working farm,
But now sits to welcome visitors who have come to relax in its old-world charm.
You notice a big old barn off to one side with a couple of horses in the corral.
They are peacefully grazing and enjoying the last of the lingering daylight.
As you reach the house,
You walk up the steps and enter.
On the kitchen table is a vase full of fresh-picked flowers.
Their sweet scent is refreshing and inviting.
Next to the vase is a note written in broken cursive.
Welcome,
Please make yourself at home.
You take a few minutes to look around at the room.
The kitchen has an old,
Free-standing stove,
The kind you see in old pictures of grandma's house.
On the stovetop are two well-used cast-iron skillets and a teapot.
It's starting to cool down for the evening,
So a cup of tea sounds perfect.
You take the teapot over to the sink and fill it with water and place it back on the stove to heat.
You now wander into the living room.
It has a warm,
Inviting smell to the room.
Neither really good nor bad,
Just the smell of wonderful old memories.
Perhaps a combination of farm life,
Dust,
And maybe the remnants of old cigar smoke from years past.
On the walls are dozens of black and white pictures in old wooden frames,
Each one varied and unique.
Your eye is drawn to one in particular,
An old weathered photo of a young couple.
They're both well-dressed,
But sort of plain,
Not wealthy-looking at all.
They're posed outside a small,
Newish-looking farmhouse with open fields in the background.
The house is a simple,
Two-story home with a wraparound porch and what seems to be a large unfinished barn in the background,
With lumber and tools strewn nearby.
Inside the lumber sits an old plow,
The kind that gets hitched up to horses in order to prepare the fields for planting.
The scribbled writing at the bottom of the photo says,
George and Winnie married April 17,
1911.
Just then your tea kettle begins to whistle,
So you return to the kitchen.
You see cups and tea bags on the counter,
So you pour the water into a cup and prepare your tea.
As you look out the window,
You notice the beginnings of a colorful sunset as the evening is starting to come to a close.
You take your tea and,
Grabbing a well-worn handmade quilt from the couch,
You head out to the porch to enjoy the last of the day.
The weather has cooled a bit while you were in the house,
So you wrap yourself in the quilt and walk outside into the evening air.
You walk over to the bench swing and settle into its comfy cushions.
You wrap your hands around the warm cup and take in the smell of the freshly brewed tea as you begin to gently swing back and forth.
Everything about rocking like this is just so relaxing and peaceful.
You look up at the sky and notice off to the west that the colors of the sky are beginning to intensify as the sun makes its retreat behind the horizon.
Bright pinks and oranges are peeking through the scattered clouds.
You take several deep breaths as you leave behind the last of your day.
You start to look around the farm.
The corral where the horses had been is now empty.
They've probably gone inside the barn to settle in for the night.
From inside the barn you hear the slight rustling of straw and some different animal noises,
Perhaps sheep or goats.
You wonder what other animals may be in there and are looking forward to the morning when you can go exploring.
You take a few minutes to just breathe several deep relaxing breaths as you continue to drink in the peaceful,
Calm feeling of this place.
Letting go of any thoughts that cross your mind.
Allowing yourself to be fully here in this almost magical place.
You feel your body almost melting as you fully relax here.
Your neck,
Your shoulders,
Your back.
All softening and releasing.
Your breathing,
Slow and peaceful.
As you continue your gentle rocking back and forth,
You hear the sound of the crickets.
A quiet and steady droning,
Creating such a peaceful sound.
The sky is now almost entirely dark,
Except for the moon and the first few stars.
You feel a cool gentle breeze and pull the quilt up closer around you.
You decide to linger here for just a few more minutes and breathe in the calm and quiet to fully drink in the serenity of this place.
A few more peaceful deep breaths as you prepare to head inside.
Taking a few minutes to really feel into the peacefulness and calm.
Allowing the feelings to expand and grow.
Feeling the deep stillness and contentment.
As you gather the quilt and walk back inside the house,
You are again met with that warm welcoming scent.
You take a deep breath,
Allowing it to fill you up and warm every part of you.
You walk through the living room into the bedroom,
Where a large comfy bed is waiting for you.
There's a fire quietly crackling in the fireplace that gives the room a warm homey feeling.
There's truly nothing else in the world right now,
Other than this wonderful magical place.
You crawl into the bed and under the comforter,
Fluffing the pillows and getting ready for sleep.
Your mind thinks back to this old farmhouse,
The trees,
The barn,
The horses,
And the old porch swing.
But most of all,
The old worn photo of George and Winnie.
You take several deep,
Relaxing breaths,
Feeling the rise and fall of your belly.
Feel the fullness and richness of your breathing.
Breathing in the peace and tranquility of this place.
And breathing out with a feeling of complete release as you give yourself over fully to relaxation and rest.
And now,
Welcome rest.
Anytime you want,
You can bring your attention back to any of the wonderful sights and sounds of this old house.
As you allow the magic of this place to weave its way into your dreams.
