Bedtime with Captain EJ.
Today we will be up on the Honey Bee Hilltop where we can look out over all there is to see.
A bunny peeks her head out of a rabbit hole hidden in the tall grass as if she wants to show us something.
All you have to do is close your eyes,
Get cozy,
And listen to the sound of my voice.
Captain EJ will lead the way.
EJ,
Let's begin.
You are here,
Sitting on the top of a quiet hill.
Tall green grass sways in the wind.
Turn your head all the way to one side until you can feel a little stretch and look as far as you can see over the endless field.
Turn your head all the way to the other side until you can feel a little stretch on that side too.
You cannot see anything but grass around you.
Bring your head back to a comfortable center and tilt your face up to the sun.
Let it shine down on you like a spotlight illuminating your brilliance.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
Feel the space created between your ribs as your chest expands outward.
Then slowly breathe all the way out through your mouth and sink into the soft green grass.
Spread your arms and your hands out and lower your fingertips down until you can feel the grass tickling your palms.
Pressing lightly on the grass,
Which is sensitive to your touch,
Swing your arms in sweeping half circles out in front of you to bend the grass downward.
It springs back up once your hand moves past it,
Then bends once again with the next sweeping circle.
As you play on the tall grass,
Bending it like the wind,
You notice something that was hidden between the individual fronds.
Right beside you,
There is a little hole dug into the soil.
The grass is so tall that it concealed this hole from your view.
You bend closer to peer into the hole,
As far as the bright sunlight will let you see.
As you investigate the ground,
A little furry face pops up from the hole.
A friendly bunny hops up out of the rabbit hole and says hello.
Her nose wiggles and her ears perk up on top of her head.
The rabbit stands up on her back legs and waves her paw hello before she hops in happy circles around you.
Once she sees how friendly and kind you are,
The bunny hops back to the rabbit hole and ducks back in and thumps the ground with her strong back legs.
You keep watching her,
Wondering what she's doing.
That's when something catches your attention out of the side of your eye.
You look that way to see another bunny popped out of another rabbit hole,
And then another,
And then another.
More and more bunnies peek up out of the tall grass.
You can see their tall,
Perked up ears before they can see you.
Their wiggly noses brush against the grass,
Also betraying their location.
Before you know it,
You look around this once-empty-seeming hill to realize that it is full of bunnies who are burrowed and nestled underground.
The bunnies return to their burrows,
But your new rabbit friend returns once again.
She has something to show you this time,
But first,
She hops right into your lap for fluffy cuddles.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
Feel the sensation of your heart beating once,
Twice,
Three times.
Then slowly breathe all the way out through your mouth.
And feel a sense of pride that this sweet,
Innocent bunny knows she can trust you.
She trusts your gentle heart,
Full of love and kindness,
And for this reason,
She snuggled up to you.
You gently pet her ears and the top of her head as you do.
A flash appears that lets you know what life is like for this little bunny.
Beneath the ground you're sitting on,
There exists a silent maze of interconnected tunnels full of rabbits.
They've all made their homes here in burrowed burrows,
Or newly dug ones.
The bunnies carefully tend their burrows,
Creating little nests for their babies and arranging their homes to be just how they like it to be.
A lot like you do with your space.
Petting the baby's soft fur behind her ears,
This rabbit friend shows you all the toys she's made for her and her friends so they can play the day away.
Bunnies spend much of their day playing because they have curious minds just like you,
And other furry friends like dogs and cats.
Just looking at this bunny,
You would have never known this curiosity-filled life she leads,
Mostly underground,
Hidden from any dangers above ground.
Take another slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
Try to wiggle your nose back at your bunny friend as she wiggles her nose up at you.
Then slowly breathe all the way out through your mouth.
And continue petting the bunny's soft fur in the bright sunshine.
After a while,
The bunnies underground notice their friend has been gone a little too long.
A big group of bunnies once again stick their heads out of their burrows to check on her.
When they see how much fun she's having with you,
They all brave the sunshine for some bunny fun.
They hop over to you and surround you to play as a new friend.
Rabbits are extremely social creatures,
So they make new friends easily,
Especially with kind friends like you.
A gentle breeze kicks up and sways the grass.
The bunnies busy themselves with rabbit games until they are tired and sprawled out in the grass all around you.
Had you not quietly sat on this hilltop,
Soaking in the sun and peace of this gentle place,
You could have missed all that lives just below the surface.
Had you not gained the trust of this one bunny,
You would have never known the sweetness of new furry friends or the richly complex lives they lead out of sight.
But since you did these things,
You and your gentleness get to experience the joys that are not immediately apparent in people,
Animals,
Places,
And things.
Quietly sitting with them invites the more nuanced parts of the world to venture forth,
Out of their hiding places,
Hidden for their various reasons.
Take another slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
Feel the sensation of your heart quietly beating,
Beating,
Beating,
Buried but glowing.
Then slowly breathe all the way out through your mouth.
Instill yourself from inside and out.
See what you meet with your gentleness.
That concludes our story.
I can't wait to see you again.
Captain EJ,
Over and out.
