Cuddle with Simon III

Transcript

It's time to unwind, I'm sure you've had a long day. Lay down, get yourself settled for sleep under a thick blanket in a warm bed, let all the tension of the day be put behind you. You've done it, and hopefully accomplished all you needed to today, and if not, you'll get to it tomorrow, but don't worry about that now, don't worry about that alarm clock in the morning.

Instead, it's time to relax, allow yourself to feel weightless, complacent, and completely at peace, sinking into the mattress or the couch or outside on the grass or wherever it is you lie comfortably right now. You feel confident in who you are and everything you've done. Your breathing is slow and steady, rhythmic and deep.

Take a couple of deep breaths with me, all the way into the bottom of your lungs, inhale and then exhale. One more time, nice and deep, and out. You feel calm now, and ready soon for an amazing and rejuvenating sleep.

Sometimes the best way to relax is to get away from it all, to get up and go, to find yourself in a new land, in a wonderful place, in a beautiful new world. So tonight, I want to take you on a journey with me to one of my favorite places, to a tropical island famous for good reason, filled with wonderful people, delicious food, incredible beaches, giant volcanic mountains, and most of all, lush, beautiful rainforest. I want you to come to Bali with me.

You ready? Make sure your lights are off, your eyes are shut, and your screen is dark. Your head should be free of any problems, all tension is gone.

Now, I want you to picture a beautiful bamboo jungle resort in the mountains, tucked into a grove of lush, green, giant trees, built against a black, stony mountain on one side, and nestled into this dense jungle. You're surrounded by colorful birds, cunning monkeys, fragrant flowers, and smiling local villagers and farmers. You found a beautiful room for us, with a patio overlooking the pool that you spent much of the day in today, frolicking carefree with the other guests and with me, making sloppy dives and cannonballs into the warm, clean waters, and lounging around on the deck, just feeling good in your skin as it was kissed by the warm, tropical sun.

Now we're lying in one of those outdoor beds made of netting. You've probably seen them in pictures, as they're all the rage this year. Extending off our private deck, we have it all to ourselves.

It really is quite comfortable. As your weight spreads out across the entire surface, it makes you feel as light as air. And the best part is, the breeze comes in underneath you, cooling your backside in the humid air of this Bali jungle.

From here, you can hear the birds, and you can see them too. So many colors and sizes, yellows, greens, blues and reds, different bills and tail feathers. Their songs are remarkable, unlike anything you've ever heard before, and so different from where you're from.

As we continue, blissfully swinging in the giant outdoor hammock, you look back on the day. You think about the fun little motorbikes we rented earlier, and cruised around the country roads in the area. At first it made you nervous, but then you began to feel confident and cool, independent and free.

Just whipping around the bumpy roads like the locals do. That little scooter was so much fun, with your hair flowing behind your thin helmet, t-shirt blowing in the wind. This is the life.

We drove down to the beach that came recommended just near the hotel. Palm trees lined the edges, as black volcanic rock jaggedly met the sea. Giant waves rolled in, and surfers had their way with them, though at times the ocean had its way with the surfers.

It was fun to watch, as we sat on the beach in the sand, enjoying all of this place. The sounds and smells. Then the local food vendor came over, with fresh seafood, and rice, noodles and veg, whatever we wanted, we had, nasi goreng, Indonesian delights, barely costing us anything.

Before sunset, we drove back up to our private bungalow in the mountains, overlooking the distant sea, tucked deep in the jungle. And lucky we did, because as we lie here now, in our giant net hammock, overlooking the pool and the forest, dark clouds are rolling in. Just like almost every afternoon in Bali this time of year, the rains are coming.

There's nothing more amazing than watching the heavy rains come down on a tropical paradise. As we see the rains coming closer now, powerful and raw, it comes at you like a wall, like a wall of water, can soak you in a moment, but you allow it, and make no gesture to move from this hammock, quieting the birds, the monkeys and other animals, and bouncing off the giant leaves all around us now, hitting the pool and the stone patio surrounding it. Nobody else is left outside now, but us, ready to brave the storm.

We're ready to cap off this incredible day with a tropical shower and a story to tell. There's something so liberating about staying out in the rain. It can't tell you where to go, there's no reason to run from it.

You're not made of sugar. Quite the contrary, you feel strong here, like you can accomplish anything, go anywhere you want and thrive. The rain is warm here, it feels incredible on your skin, soaking you instantly.

Your hair clings to your face, so you brush it away from your eyes, smiling at me, then smiling up at the sky, opening your mouth wide, tongue out, catching the fresh rain as it pours down upon us. Everything seems so pure here, it's magic, it's simplicity, it's bliss, it's everything. The power of rain, giant leaves, palm trees swinging, thrashing in the wind, grasses blowing in unison.

We are all one, or we are none. You look over to the jungle now, as giant, umbrageous trees grow.