Ranger Twitch's Observation Tower

(indistinct radio chatter) High in the forests of Sleeper Mountain, a warm light blinks from the top of a large steel observation tower. On its balcony, two wooden rocking chairs sway lightly in the wind, but only one is occupied tonight. This place has a long history, and Ranger Twitch knows it well. He sips his mint tea and looks out at the wide expanse of mountains in the distance. Soon, the stars will take their place in the sky and the far-off constellations will tell their nightly stories. (fire crackling) But first, let's quiet our minds with a brief 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 in 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, ourselves and the feeling so we don't get so involved in it. That, in turn, create some more restful state of mind. In other words, the perfect state of mind for gentle, restful sleep. So to begin with, just take a moment or two to get comfortable, make sure you're nice and cool. (fire crackling) Just starting with some nice, 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 just feeling the weight of the body pressing down into your bed. (fire crackling) 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, any time 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, "Feeling," and return to the breath. That 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. (fire crackling) (fire continues crackling) That's great. (fire crackling) (wind rustling) Out of the six outposts across the parks, Ranger Twitch's observation tower has the best view of the constellations and the forests, deserts, and valleys below. There must be thousands of pine, maple, and Sequoia trees, and even more cacti in the desert north of here. With his trusty binoculars, he sweeps the landscape and says, "Sweet dreams" to each and every town and forest he can see. Goodnight to the purple blooms and the...