The otter and the 90 second ripple.
Hi little one.
If your eyes feel sleepy,
They can close.
And if they're still open,
That's just fine too.
You can simply listen and rest.
Let's begin with one slow breath together.
Breathe in nice and easy.
And breathe out like a soft ripple fading across water.
Somewhere in the universe,
Where secrets wait quietly to be discovered,
There is a glowing door.
It doesn't rush.
It doesn't make noise.
It simply waits until someone is ready.
Tonight,
That someone is you.
As you drift closer,
The door begins to glow with a gentle silvery light.
When it opens,
It doesn't creak or sparkle.
It sighs softly as if it's saying,
Come in,
You're safe here.
Step through the door now.
Feel the ground beneath you become cool and steady.
Feel the air wrap around you like a cozy blanket.
Ahead,
You notice a pond.
Not just any pond,
But one that glows quietly under the stars.
This is the ripple pond.
Its water shines like glass.
Its surface hums softly,
Almost like it's breathing,
And every feeling that drifts nearby becomes a ripple upon the water.
Take another slow breath in.
And out.
The ripple pond rests in a peaceful clearing surrounded by the tall,
Gentle trees.
Their leaves sway slowly,
Whispering bedtime secrets to the night.
Fireflies float lazily above the water,
Blinking on and off like tiny sleepy stars.
The pond loves routine.
It loves gentle moments.
And most of all,
It knows play that knows when to slow down.
This is where a young otter named Charlie lives.
Charlie has soft brown fur,
Long whiskers that twitch when he's excited,
And a tail that swishes happily through the water.
Every evening,
Just before the moon climbs high,
Charlie meets his friends at the pond.
They splash,
They glide,
They float on their backs and watch the clouds drift by.
Splash,
Glide,
Float.
Splash,
Glide,
Float.
Charlie loves making ripples.
Small ones,
Big ones,
Round ones that travel all the way back to shore and back again.
Tonight feels especially joyful.
The air is warm,
The water sparkles,
And Charlie feels light and bouncy inside.
On the grassy bank nearby,
His friends have set up a little picnic,
Crunchy snacks wrapped in green petals.
Everything feels just right.
Charlie wiggles with excitement.
I'm going to make the biggest splash ever,
He laughs,
His voice echoing happily across the water.
He swims back,
He dives down,
And with a joyful leaf,
Whoosh,
Water rises into the air and falls back in shining acres.
Ripples race across the pond,
Bumping gently into one another.
For a moment,
Everything is still playful,
Still bright,
And the ripple pond holds its breath.
Charlie pops back up to the surface smiling wide,
But then everything feels different.
The joyful laughter on the shore goes quiet.
Charlie's friends stare at the picnic.
The leaves are soaked,
The snacks are soggy,
Little puddles drip back into the grass.
Charlie,
One friend says softly,
Our picnic!
Another friend sighs,
We worked really hard on that.
Charlie's whiskers droop,
His chest feels tight,
His happy bounce sinks straight down into his belly.
I didn't mean to,
Charlie says quickly,
His voice wobbles like a ripple that can't decide where to go.
No one yells,
No one stomps away,
But his friends paddle quietly to the shore and sit close together,
Wrapping their tails around themselves.
They don't look angry,
They just look disappointed,
And somehow that feels even heavier.
Charlie stays in the water alone.
Inside him,
Something swirls,
Embarrassment,
Worry,
That yucky,
Twisty feeling that says,
Why do I always mess things up?
Without thinking,
Charlie slaps the water with his tail,
Whap!
The ripple pond reacts instantly,
Ripples grow bigger,
They bump into each other.
The water churns and spins,
Pulling up soft brown mud from the bottom.
The pond turns cloudy,
Charlie's heart beats faster,
His thoughts race faster,
And the more he splashes,
The more tangled everything becomes.
The pond is no longer calm,
And neither is Charlie.
A soft shadow glides across the water,
Charlie looks up,
Standing on a smooth stone near the pond is a tall,
Graceful heron.
Her feathers shimmer silver and blue in the moonlight,
Her eyes are very kind.
This is Sage.
She has watched the ripple pond for a long time.
She knows its moods,
She knows the feelings that visit those who come near.
Sage speaks gently,
Hello Charlie,
She says,
It looks like your ripples are feeling very busy tonight.
Charlie sniffs,
I ruined everything,
He whispered,
And now I can't stop feeling bad.
Sage nods slowly,
That makes sense,
Big feelings like to arrive all at once.
She steps closer to the water,
Did you know,
She continued,
That feelings are a bit like ripples?
Charlie blinks,
Like these ripples?
Yes,
Sage says softly,
When something happens,
Your body sends out a wave,
That wave lasts for a short while,
About as long as it takes to watch a ripple travel across the pond.
Charlie watches the muddy water swirl,
About 90 seconds,
Sage adds kindly,
If we don't push the ripple,
If we don't keep splashing with our thoughts,
The wave naturally fades.
So Charlie asked quietly,
I don't have to make it stop?
Sage smiles,
No,
You just have to let it pass.
She lowers her voice,
Let's try something together,
No fixing,
No rushing,
Just breathing and waiting.
Charlie hesitates,
Then he nods,
Sage counts softly,
Not with numbers,
But in breaths,
In and out,
In and out.
Charlie closes his eyes,
He feels the water cool around him,
He feels his tail grow still,
For a moment,
The pond stays cloudy,
And that's okay,
Sometimes,
Sage whispers,
The ripples need a little space.
Charlie takes another breath,
And another.
Charlie keeps floating,
Quietly in the water,
He doesn't splash,
He doesn't rush,
He just breathes,
In and out.
Sage's voice drifts gently across the pond,
Imagine the ripples getting smaller,
She says,
Not gone,
Just softer,
Charlie pictures it in his mind,
The big bumpy waves turn into round circles,
The circles slow,
They stretch wider,
And thinner,
Until they barely move at all.
With each breath,
His chest loosens,
His whiskers stop twitching,
His heart finds a slower beat,
Thump,
Thump,
Thump,
And then,
Very quietly,
The mud begins to sink,
The water clears for brown to blue,
From cloudy to calm,
From busy to still,
Moonlight slips back onto the surface of the ripple pond,
Painting it with silver,
Fireflies drift low again,
Blinking softly,
Blink,
Blink,
Blink,
Charlie opens his eyes,
It worked,
He whispers,
Almost afraid to break the calm,
Sage smiles,
The ripples passed,
She says,
They always do,
When we let them.
Charlie looked down into the pond,
He can see his reflection again,
Not worried,
Not tangled,
Just Charlie,
This is my favourite part,
Sage adds,
When the water is calm,
You can choose what comes next,
Charlie thinks,
Really thinks,
And suddenly,
An idea floats up,
Light and gentle,
I can fix this,
He says softly,
There's a berry bush by the stream,
I can bring back some new snacks,
Sage tips her head,
A kind choice,
She says,
Go slowly,
The pond will stay calm,
Charlie paddles towards the shore,
Each stroke smooth and steady,
Behind him,
The ripple pond glows quietly,
A place he knows he can always return to,
The forest feels peaceful as Charlie moves along the stream,
The ground is cool under his paws,
The berries glow deep purple under the moonlight,
He gathers them carefully,
Not rushing,
Just enough,
When Charlie returns,
His friends look up,
I'm really sorry,
Charlie says,
His voice steady now,
I brought these to share,
For a moment,
No one speaks,
Then one friend smiles,
Thank you Charlie,
Another scoots closer,
That was very thoughtful,
They spread the berries out on fresh leaves,
They sit together,
They munch slowly,
Juice drips,
Laughter returns soft and warm,
The ripple pond shimmers brighter than before,
It's surface smooth as glass,
Joy makes tiny ripples,
The gentle kind that never stirs the mud,
From her stone perch,
Sage watches quietly,
She spreads her wings just once,
Then settles into stillness,
The night deepens,
The stars lean closer,
And everything feels just right,
Charlie floats on his back for a while,
Watching the sky,
He breathes in,
He breathes out,
The pond breathes with him,
And now little one,
The ripple pond grows very quiet,
The fireflies blink more slowly,
The trees sigh as they rest for the night,
Charlie curls up near the water's edge,
Warm,
Safe,
And calm,
He knows something important now,
Feelings arrive,
Feelings ripple,
And then they pass,
Just like the waves on the pond,
Before sleep carries you gently away,
Let's remember this together,
When a feeling feels big,
You can pause,
You can breathe,
You can wait,
And let the ripples pass,
Breathe,
Wait,
And let the ripples pass,
Again,
Just as gently,
Breathe,
Wait,
And let the ripples pass,
Tonight,
Your heart can rest,
Your thoughts can float,
And your ripples can settle all on their own,
Sleep well,
Little dreamer,
The pond is calm,
And so are you,
Good night.
