Billy’s All-Day Car Wash

Hi again. We're back at Billy's Car Wash, your friendly, family-run way station just a short drive along the coast road. They're never closed, as you know. That's how committed they are to their customers. You could be heading home from a trip out of town at any time of day or night, and the car wash's neon sign, glowing steadfast and true, will never fail to catch your eye. Before we set off, let's briefly pause for a wind-down exercise. Tonight's wind down is an exercise we call "noting." It helps to soothe the mind, and once you've learned it, you can even use it if you wake up during the night. We're going to be counting our breaths and then just gently noting thoughts and feelings as they arise. We're not trying to change them. We're simply labeling thinking as thinking, feeling as feeling. It may sound incredibly simple, but it can help to create distance between ourselves and the thought and ourselves and the feeling, so we don't get so involved in it. That in turn creates a more restful state of mind. In other words, the perfect conditions for gentle, restful sleep. So to begin, just take a moment or two to get comfortable. Make sure you're nice and cool. Just starting with some big, deep breaths, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. And with the next out breath, allow the breath to return to its natural rhythm. In and out through the nose, and feeling the weight of the body pressing you down into your bed. And in your own time, starting to count the breaths as they pass. One with the rise, two with the fall. Just up to a count of 10. When you get to 10, you can stop and start again at one. And remember, anytime you get distracted, the moment you realize you're distracted by thought, simply note it, "thinking," and return to the breath. Or if a feeling arises, note it as "feeling," and return to the breath. Noting is very gentle, not harsh at all. Think of it like a feather just gently touching the surface of a crystal glass. I'm going to give you a few moments just to keep counting the breath and noting any thoughts and feelings that arise. That's great. Billy's Car Wash offers all styles of car cleaning, hand wash, valet, interior, exterior, self service, park and clean, but the drive thru is the most popular. Tonight, a small queue has formed, and next in line is Nazneen, a driving instructor who's making a video for her substantial online following. "Enjoy the ride, guys," she tells her cameraman, local photographer AJ, as she approaches the drive-through's jaunty archway with its many slogans. Spiffy in a jiffy. Dream clean. Wash and roll. Nazneen drives into the wash tunnel, reminding future viewers of her video that this is the moment to put the car in park. "Isn't it glorious?" she whispers,...