Welcome back little dreamers I am so happy you're here.
Tonight we're heading into the leafy green town of Sleepy Time Grove where one very determined little panda is about to have a very big day with some very important lessons that we can all learn from.
Her name is Pip,
Pip the Panda.
She's got the fluffiest ears,
The biggest heart and she just loves to give the squishiest and snuggliest hugs and today the wobbliest roller skates you've ever seen.
She's been dreaming about roller skating for weeks.
She's watched her friends zoom and spin and glide across the playground making it look so easy and so effortless.
She's imagined herself hundreds of times standing up on her skates for the very first time,
Gently launching off and being so effortlessly graceful and perfect on her first try.
Gentle music was playing in the background,
Wind in her fur,
Everyone clapping and cheering in awe as she did fancy spins and twirls and today well that day has finally arrived and boy was Pip beside herself with excitement.
She slid on her brand new roller skates,
Clipped on her shiny new helmet,
She popped on her elbow and knee pads because as mum always says,
Safety first and she said quietly to herself,
Okay Pip,
You've dreamt of this morning,
You're going to nail this.
She stood up slowly,
She wibbled a little to the left and wobbled a little bit to the right and then thump,
Straight onto her butt.
She blinked,
She was shocked and surprised.
That wasn't part of the plan but Pip was determined so she got up and another wibble and another wobble and down she went again.
She persevered and she tried again and again and again and each fall got louder,
Each fall got messier and each fall was less graceful than the last and each time she got more and more frustrated until finally she took off with so much speed that she crashed into a bush,
Skates flinging in all different directions and she let out the biggest,
Grumpiest,
Growliest panda shout she'd ever made.
This is stupid,
She roared.
Her cheeks were red and her fur was wild.
I'm never gonna get it,
Everyone else is better than me,
I'm terrible at this,
What is wrong with me?
She ripped off her helmet and she threw her skates onto the grass and then her eyes started to sting not because she'd fallen but because something mean had started whispering inside her head.
You should be better than this,
Why can't you just get it right?
Everyone else is doing it,
What's wrong with you?
Pip believed these thoughts in her head,
She thought they were the truth but here's the thing little ones,
That voice in our head,
It sounds like us but sometimes it isn't us it's our fear dressed up like it's talking facts.
We all have that voice sometimes,
That one that tells us we're not good enough or we're falling behind or we're doing it wrong but just because we think something doesn't make it the truth.
So while Pip sat sulking,
Tangled in leaves and frustration,
A soft voice called out to her.
Whoa,
Epic panda meltdown detected.
It was Moxie the meerkat wearing mismatched elbow pads and a helmet that kept slipping over one eye.
She plopped herself down next to Pip,
Looked at the scattered skates and said rough day on the wheels hey Pip?
Pip sniffled,
I guess I just thought I'd be better at this.
Moxie nodded,
Yeah I get it me too,
On my first day I cried so hard that I scared a butterfly away.
That made Pip snort just a little.
Moxie leaned back and looked up at the sky.
You know what I've learned Pip?
Perfection it isn't real,
It's actually a trap.
It's this weird shiny idea that says you're only good if you get it right the first go but that's not real and that's not true.
No one learns anything without falling a few times.
Moxie paused,
Actually more than a few,
I've probably fallen six,
Seven,
Twelve thousand times.
Pip frowned,
But everyone else looks like they're doing it so easily.
Oh Moxie said nodding,
Here's the thing Pip,
You're seeing their middle not their beginning.
You're comparing your first step to someone else's 29th step.
She looked at Pip kindly.
You know that voice in your head,
The one that's saying the mean stuff?
It's not the truth,
It's just fear trying to keep you small.
But small doesn't help you grow,
Small wants you to stay stuck because that's what feels safe.
Pip went quiet,
She looked down at her skates lying in the grass.
But what if I never get it?
You will Moxie said,
Not perfectly but you will get better.
Slowly at first,
With falls and bumps and maybe a few more bushes.
But the more you practice the better you'll be.
She offered Pip her little meerkat paw.
Come on I'll wibble and wobble with you.
And so they did.
They strapped their skates back on and started again.
Pip wibbled and Moxie wobbled.
Pip wobbled and Moxie wibbled.
Pip fell.
Moxie tripped over her and landed on her butt.
And they laughed so hard until their bellies hurt.
And slowly Pip started to feel a bit steadier on her roller skates.
Not because she was perfect.
But because even when she fell down,
She got herself back up and tried again and again and again.
By sunset she'd managed to skate in a mostly straight line across the playground without falling over.
She still looked like a wind-up baby giraffe with arms and legs flailing everywhere.
But she did it.
And this time she didn't need applause or twirls or sparkles.
She was more than happy with the feeling of that quiet pride in her heart for not giving up.
That night Pip lay curled in her bed,
Her arms and legs exhausted and her heart full.
She smiled as she remembered her wibbles and her wobbles,
Her falls and her epic meltdown.
And she whispered to herself,
I don't have to be perfect.
I just have to keep trying.
My mistakes don't mean I'm failing.
They actually mean that I'm learning.
And just because I think something mean doesn't make it true.
So as you drift off now my little loves,
Let Pip's story remind you.
You are allowed to fall.
You are allowed to get frustrated.
And you are allowed to feel at all.
But you don't have to believe every mean thought your mind tells you.
Perfection is a myth.
Your kindness to yourself when things are hard and your courage.
That my friends is the real magic.
So take a deep breath and breathe it out.
Let your arms go floppy like spaghetti.
Keep your fingers and your toes a wiggle.
And let your body rest.
You're growing and getting better,
Even on the days when you feel like you're not.
And you're doing it beautifully.
I want you to repeat these affirmations silently in your head or out loud.
I don't need to be perfect.
I am learning with every step.
My thoughts are not always the truth.
I can try again tomorrow.
I am proud of myself for showing up today.
Well done my little loves.
Now it's time to say good night.
And I want you to remember that you are safe,
You are loved and you are already enough.
Sweet dreams,
Sleep well and we'll see you for the next Sleepytime Cruise Story adventures.
Good night.
