It's a Sunday night and it's kind of late, but I'm not tired. So I thought I would work on this episode. I'm in my home office right now, not so much writing as just looking at the view from my office window. I have a tiny backyard, but it's treed. I have a crabapple tree. It's heavy with fruit right now. And the moon is perfectly framed by its branches. I wish you could see it. My cat Max, who is old and grouchy and snaggletooth, is sleeping near me. And I can hear the dryer tumbling in the other room. I love that sound, the dryer. It's what inspired this week's story. There's something so soothing about that gentle tumbling, isn't there? Maybe it's the rhythmic predictability of it, or the way it sounds like productivity happening without any effort from us. For a lot of us, it brings back childhood memories of home and being cared for. It's warm and muffled and safe, like a cat purring or rain on the roof. One of those sounds that just makes everything feel okay. I think this episode is definitely going to lull you to sleep. We're visiting a 24-hour laundromat in a small college town. We're a music student named Jasper who works the night shift. It's warm and peaceful, filled with gentle sounds and the kind of quiet kindness that makes the world feel a little softer. But before we begin, please make sure that you're somewhere safe to fall asleep. And if these episodes are helping you sleep better, I'd be grateful if you would follow the show. It's one of the most meaningful ways you can support what we're creating together. And it just takes a few seconds of your time. When you're ready, let's begin with some gentle breathing. We're going to use a simple mantra that will help your mind focus while your body relaxes. As you breathe in, silently say to yourself, I breathe in peace and calm. And as you breathe out, think, I breathe out stress and tension. Let's try this together. Take a slow, deep breath in.And as you do, think, I breathe in peace and calm. And then exhale slowly. And as you do, think, I breathe out stress and tension. Feel any tightness or worry leaving your body. Again. Breathe in peace and calm.And breathe out stress and tension. One more time. In with peace and calm.And out with stress and tension. And continue this breathing pattern on your own now. Letting the words flow naturally with each breath. Now, let's do a gentle scan of your body to make sure you're completely relaxed. I want you to notice your eyes and the muscles around them. And let those muscles soften. Let your eyelids grow heavy. If they're not already closed, let them close gently now. And check your jaw. Are you clenching it at all? Let it soften now. Feel your neck and your shoulders. And with your next exhale, let your shoulders drop away from your ears. And feel that tension melting away. Let this relaxation flow down your arms, past your elbows, all the way to your hands and fingers. Let them become loose and open. Notice your chest and back. Feel how your breath is moving through your body easily and naturally. Let your back sink into the mattress beneath you.Feel the weight of your legs against your bed. Let them become heavy and still. Down through your knees, your calves, all the way to your feet and toes.Perfect. Your whole body is now completely relaxed. The fluorescent lights hummed their familiar tune as Jasper settled into his chair behind the counter at Sudson Bubbles, the only 24-hour laundromat in Cedar Falls.At 20 years old, he'd been working this midnight to six shift for eight months now. And what had started as just a way to pay tuition, had become something he genuinely looked forward to. There was a peace to these quiet hours that his daytime friends couldn't understand.The laundromat was warm and welcoming. Nothing like the harsh, sterile places you might find in bigger cities. Mrs. Jackson, who owned the building, had painted the walls a soft green and hung cheerful yellow curtains at the large windows that looked out onto Maple Street. During the day, those windows let in natural light, but now they reflected the cozy interior back at him like mirrors. Jasper opened his music theory textbook and spread it across the counter. But before he could focus, he heard the familiar jingle of the front doorbell. Dr. Lila Garcia walked in, her scrub slightly wrinkled from a long shift at the hospital. She was carrying a mesh bag filled with what looked like a week's worth of laundry. Evening Jasper, she said with a tired but genuine smile.How's the composition coming along? Slowly but surely, Jasper replied, standing to help her sort through the machines. Dr. Garcia was one of his regulars, and over the months he learned that she was a resident working brutal hours at the hospital. Machine number seven has the gentlest cycle, if you've got delicates in there.She nodded gratefully and began loading her clothes. Into the large front loading washer, Jasper had learned that Dr. Garcia preferred the machines along the far wall because they were quieter. And after 12-hour shifts in the ER, she often dozed in one of the plastic chairs while her laundry ran.He'd started keeping a small throw blanket behind the counter, just for her. As Dr. Garcia's machine began its cycle, Jasper walked his evening route, checking each machine to ensure they were running properly. A familiar ritual soothed him, the way each washer had its own personality. The predictable timing of the cycles, the satisfaction of keeping everything running smoothly. Three dryers were tumbling quietly, their contents creating a soft rhythmic thumping that Jasper had learned to read like music. Mrs. Kowalski's towels in dryer number 12, always exactly 45 minutes.The college student in number nine had loaded his jeans and sweatshirts, which would need the full hour. And dryer number 15 held what looked like baby clothes, tiny socks and onesies that belonged to Jenny, the young mother who worked the evening shift at the diner. Jasper made his way back to the folding station, where someone had left a load of laundry with a note, back in 20 minutes. He recognized the handwriting. It was Sam, one of the graduate students, who often came in around 1 a.m. with a backpack full of research papers and a thermos of coffee that smelled like cinnamon. Folding other people's laundry had felt strange at first, but Jasper had come to understand it as an act of care.He worked methodically, checking out each item before folding it with the same attention he'd want for his own clothes. T-shirts were folded in thirds. Sleeves tucked neatly.Jeans were hung by the waistband to prevent wrinkles. Socks were paired and rolled together. There was something meditative about the repetition. The way his hands learned the rhythm while his mind was free to wander through melodies and chord progressions. The laundromat sounds created their own composition. The steady hum of the fluorescent lights provided the baseline.The washing machines added their varying rhythms, some deep and slow, others quick and light. The dryers contributed percussion. A gentle tumbling that varied in tempo.Jasper pulled his notebook from his backpack and began sketching out a piece he'd been working on, something he was calling Nocturne for Washing Machines. The melody had come to him during last week's shift. Inspired by the way machine number four played a slightly different tune than the others, its motor humming in a minor key that felt both melancholy and comforting. The front door chimed again and Jasper looked up to see Haley, another regular, wheeling in a cart loaded with what looked like several weeks worth of laundry. Haley was working on her master's thesis in English literature and often used her laundry time as forced study breaks. She'd claimed the table by the window as her unofficial office. Busy night, she asked, though they both knew the answer. After midnight, Cedar Falls settled into the kind of quiet that only small college towns could achieve. Just the way I like it, Jasper replied, and he meant it.The pace of these nighttime hours allowed him to be truly present with each task, each customer. During the day, the laundromat bustled with activity, but at night, everything slowed to a more human speed. Haley settled at her usual table with a cup of tea from her thermos that looked like it weighed more than all of Jasper's textbooks.The soft scratch of her highlighter and the quiet turning of pages added another layer to the laundromat's gentle soundtrack. Jasper returned to his composition but found himself listening instead. Machine number four finished its spin cycle with a gentle chime, and he made a note to check if anyone was waiting for it.Dryer number 12 would finish in about 10 minutes, and Dr. Garcia was sleeping peacefully in her chair. So he'd fold Mrs. Kowalski's towels when they were ready and leave them in a neat basket. These small acts of service had become second nature to him. He learned that the elderly woman who came in every Tuesday at 10 a.m. preferred her sheets folded in quarters and not thirds, but the night janitor from the elementary school always left exact change and said, thank you, son, in a voice that reminded Jasper of his grandfather and that Jenny from the diner always washed her baby's clothes in the gentle cycle with extra rinse. And she appreciated when Jasper moved them to the dryer so the delicate fabrics would not wrinkle. The warmth in the laundromat came from more than just the machines.It radiated from the care Jasper put into his work, the way he treated each customer's belongings as if they were precious. The respect he showed for the small routines that brought people comfort in a world that often felt rushed and impersonal. This place offered something different, a space where time moved at the speed of care, where the simple act of cleaning clothes became a meditation.As the night progressed, Jasper found himself humming along with the machines. His melody weaving through the gentle percussion of tumbling dryers and the steady rhythm of washing cycles. Outside, Cedar Falls slept peacefully under a canopy of stars. While inside suds and bubbles, the work of care continued in its quiet, essential way. When Sam returned for his laundry, he found it neatly folded and waiting in a clean basket. Dr. Garcia's load finished just as she was stirring from her nap, perfectly timed so she could head home to a few hours of rest before her next shift.And Haley's thesis research continued at her window table, surrounded by the gentle sounds of a place where kindness operated on a timer. Reliable as clockwork, warm as fresh laundry from the dryer, Jasper glanced at the clock. 4 a.m. In two hours, he would walk home through the quiet streets, his mind full of melodies inspired by machines that washed away the day's troubles and left everything clean, soft, and ready for whatever came next.But for now, there was just this perfect rhythm, this gentle work, this peaceful corner of the world where time moved to the tempo of care. And every load of laundry was a small act of love. As we leave Jasper to his peaceful work in the warm laundromat, feel yourself settling deeper into your own comfortable bed.Perhaps you can still hear the gentle rhythm of those washing machines, that soft tumbling of dryers, the quiet hum that filled the space. With such soothing sounds, notice how your breathing is naturally slowed to match the peaceful pace of Jasper's world. Your body has absorbed the warmth of that cozy laundromat, the safety of that well-lit space. Feel how your muscles have softened. Feel how your muscles have softened, just like those clean clothes fresh from the dryer. Warm and completely relaxed. There's something so comforting about Jasper's work, the way he folded each item with genuine care. Let that same gentle attention settle over you now. This moment is precious too, this time of rest that you've earned, this peaceful transition into sleep. Your heart has found its own quiet rhythm now, steady and calm, like the reliable hum of those machines. Each beat carries you deeper into relaxation, further from the concerns of the day. Feel how heavy your eyelids have become, how your entire body seems to be sinking into the support of your mattress.The outside world can wait until morning. Right now, there's only this, this perfect cocoon of comfort, this gentle descent into rest. Your mind is growing quieter, with each breath, thoughts becoming as soft and distant as the sound of laundry tumbling in a faraway dryer. You are safe here, cared for, just as Jasper cared for every load of laundry that passed through his gentle hands. Feel yourself being held by the same tenderness, wrapped in warm, light clothes fresh from the dryer. Clean and soft and ready for the sweetest dreams.Sleep is approaching now, natural, inevitable, perfectly timed. There's no need to hurry it or chase after it like Jasper in his peaceful laundromat. You can simply be present with this moment.Let the gentle sounds of the night laundromat fade into the even gentler sound of your own breathing. Feel yourself drifting, like steam rising from warm, clean laundry, floating effortlessly into the soft darkness of peaceful sleep. Sleep now. Knowing you are cared for, sleep deeply. Surrounded by warmth and gentleness, sleep well. Carried by rhythms as reliable as kindness, as comforting as clothes dried in sunshine, as peaceful as love folded with careful hands.