Little Harmonies
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Welcome to Bedtime Stories for Everyone, in which nothing much happens. You feel good, and then you fall asleep. I'm Katherine Nicolai. I write and read all the stories you hear on Nothing Much Happens. Audio engineering is by Bob Wittersheim. Now since every episode is someone's first let me say something about how this works. When your mind is gently engaged sleep is more accessible. You know this if you've ever been unable to keep your eyes open. when reading in bed at night. But then, what happens? You click off the light, slip down into your sheets, and suddenly you're wide awake again. It's because that gentle engagement went away. So just by listening, we will keep that element in place. And before you know it, you'll be waking up tomorrow feeling rested and relaxed.
I'll tell our bedtime story twice, and I'll go a little slower the second time through.
Our story tonight is called Little Harmonies, and it's a story about small bits of ordinary magic that happen every day. It's also about new specials at the coffee shop, tulip bulbs, and a dog met at the mailbox. notes jotted down in a journal, and the feeling that you've tuned into a special frequency that you might have missed before.
Okay, time to turn off the lights. Set down devices and get as comfortable as you can.
Let it sink in that you are in bed and about to fall asleep. Maybe this is a moment you've been waiting for all day, and now it's here. Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose and sigh. Again, fill it up and let it out with sound.
Good. Little harmonies. I'd been noting them down in my journal lately.
Anytime I noticed a little echo in my day, some small moment when something was mirrored, a thought I'd had appearing in the real world, a word I'd just learned uttered by a stranger at the next table in a cafe.
A song stuck in my head before bed, playing when I started up the car. Those little harmonies feel like magic to me, like catching a glimpse of the internal wiring of the universe. and a friend had suggested that I start writing them down. She said she did, and it helped keep a feeling of awe and amazement fresh in her mind.
That sounded good to me, so when they popped up,
I took my journal from my bag and just made a note. Just now I'd seen one and flipped through my little logbook to write, February 3rd, cookbook slash new coffee special. Just the night before, I'd been flipping through a cookbook I'd had for years.
I'd started by looking for a soup recipe to make for dinner, but ended up in the dessert section, a frequent happening for me.
When I saw a recipe for miso caramel, Hmm, I thought. What would that be like? A little salty, like a salted caramel, but with the extra umami of the miso?
I'd been intrigued, but not interested enough to actually attempt the recipe. In the end, I'd gone with a basic split-piece soup for supper and forgotten about the sweet miso idea.
Then today, standing in line at the coffee shop, just as the person in front of me paid and stepped aside, one of the baristas started sketching out their new weekly specials on the chalkboard beside the register. And second from the top was a miso caramel latte. Whoa. Whoa. I'd ordered it immediately and stepped aside to write it into my book.
A minute later, just as I was reflecting on what the odds of this coincidence might be, I heard my name called from the counter and went to retrieve my drink. The ceramic cup was warm in my hands, and the barista had made a pretty plump snowman in the foam art on top.
I walked carefully back to my table, trying my best not to jostle him. I sat and took a slow sip. It was really delicious.
Huh, I can't say that I would have been able to identify the flavor as miso.
But what I loved about it was that the sweetness sat on top of this balanced richness.
It wasn't just sugar that sometimes left me feeling a bit sick when I got too much.
It tasted just a bit sweet, a bit salty, and a bit earthy.
I caught the eye of the barista and gave them a little applause.
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