Cabin Porch

Welcome to Robin's Nest Cabin, your home away from home for the night. As you settle into your seat on the front porch, you sink effortlessly into the old rocking chair beneath you. You feel your shoulders loosen and your jaw untighten as any stress you brought into Robin's Nest begins to melt away and evaporate. You have nowhere to go, nothing to do, no one to report to. Just you and the gentle creaking of the rocking chair beneath you. Let's deepen this state of relaxation with a wind down exercise. Tonight's exercise is a really simple breathing exercise. So, when you're ready, let's begin. So first, get yourself comfortable. Now, just bringing the attention to the breath. Just noticing where you feel it. In the nose, the throat, the chest, the diaphragm. You're nice and relaxed. We're going to be taking a deep breath, in for four, holding it for four, then breathing out for six. So, are you ready? Let's begin. In for four. Two, three, four. Hold it for four. Two, three, four. Now breathing out for six. Two, three, four, five, six. In for four. Two, three, four. Holding for four. Two, three, four. Out for six. Two, three, four, five, six. In for four. Two, three, four. Holding for four. Two, three, four. Out for six. Two, three, four, five, six. In for four. Two, three, four. Holding for four. Two, three, four. Out for six. Two, three, four, five, six. Great. Now returning the breath to normal. Isn't robin's nest the most magical place. It's the perfect escape from the stresses of city life. Some mornings, if you look beneath the Aspen trees you'll see a doe and her two fawns stretch and yawn and blink the sleep from their eyes. Do you see them? There beneath the big tree in the center. There, there they are. And what a cozy nest they've made. The slight impression they've left in the leaves where they snuggled in for the night. The moss pillows where they rested their heads. It looks almost as comfortable as the soft bed inside the cabin. Well, almost. And aren't they wondrous creatures. Some fawns might be afraid of people, but not these two. Now they're happy to walk right up to you much like the other animals in these woods since they know you mean them no arm. And some nights, before the crickets pack up and head off to bed themselves, before the brisk evening air swaddles you in its cloak, wrapping you tight, it's nice to sit on the porch in your rocking chair and watch the sunset. The sun changes to a rosy shade of pink, and if you catch it at just the right moment, on a night like tonight, it lights up the whole sky with the colors of bubblegum, lavender, and orange cream Popsicle. The clouds hang like tufts of cotton candy, airy as tissue paper. Have you ever noticed how tissue paper...