Welcome to today's meditation where you will be going apple-picking.
Before you go,
Let's make sure we get your body and your mind nice and relaxed.
Go ahead and get yourself into a comfortable position,
Maybe grabbing a pillow or a stuffed animal and closing your eyes if that feels good for you,
Placing your hands by your side or on your lap or maybe even on your heart.
You choose.
Let your entire body relax now,
Sinking deeper and deeper into the cozy surface that you are on.
What can you do to make yourself even more comfortable right now?
You feel relaxed here.
You feel calm here.
You feel peaceful here.
Notice your breathing now.
Notice the air going in and out.
Let's take a couple of deep breaths together which will send a magic signal to our body and to our mind to relax and unwind.
Take a nice deep breath in through your nose for about three seconds like you are smelling the crisp fall air and then let out a nice long exhale for as long as you can like you are a big gust of wind blowing colorful leaves all around.
Let's do that again.
Take a nice deep breath in through your nose for three seconds smelling the crisp fall air and then let out a nice long exhale like a big gust of wind blowing leaves everywhere.
Once more,
Nice big inhale through your nose smelling the crisp fall air and letting out a nice long exhale through your mouth like a big gust of wind blowing leaves around you.
Feeling relaxed now,
You get ready to use your imagination.
Imagine now that a friend of yours told you all about an incredible apple orchard located just outside your town.
Bright and early one sunny morning,
You sprang out of bed with excitement bubbling inside of you.
Rushing to the kitchen where your family was sitting,
Sipping on warm drinks.
You shared your grand plan to go apple picking at this new spot.
They were eager to join you on this fun fall adventure.
It's time to get ready with a picnic basket filled with delicious sandwiches,
Refreshing apple juice,
And of course some sweet treats for later.
Your family sets off for the apple orchard.
The car ride was a bit long so you listened to some music,
Shared stories,
And even played a few games of I Spy to pass the time.
When you arrived at the apple orchard,
Your eyes widened in awe.
Endless rows of apple trees stood before you,
Each one bearing the weight of beautiful ripe apples.
The cool crisp autumn air was filled with sweetness.
You grabbed a vibrant red basket and your parents handed you a special apple picking pole with a handy hook on the end to reach the tallest apples.
With a determined look on your face,
You set off to find the juiciest and most enticing apples.
As you reached for the first apple,
You couldn't help but notice a friendly chipmunk scurrying around in the tree.
This made you smile.
While you were busy picking apples,
Your entire family joined in.
They showed you the art of twisting the apples gently to avoid harming the trees and guided you towards the ripest fruit.
This was incredibly relaxing.
After a while,
Your family took a well-deserved break under a sturdy apple tree.
You shared sandwiches,
Crisp apple slices,
And stories of the animals you saw along the way today.
After your break,
You continued your apple picking expedition and your basket grew heavier and heavier with each apple you added.
After a while,
It was time to leave the orchard and then head home.
What a perfect day.
Upon returning home,
Your family worked as a team to transform your apple bounty into delicious treats.
Together,
You made apple pie,
Apple crisp,
Apple sauce,
And generously shared some apples with your neighbors,
Spreading the joy of your apple picking adventure.
Together,
You were reminded that sometimes the simplest of activities can bring you the most joy.
