What if worries weren't wild?
Kiki has been invited to a school picnic but now she is worrying about it more and more.
Why can't you come to the picnic with me?
Kiki asks Fred the Firefly again.
I've told you a bazillion times,
Fred yawns.
I have to sleep by day so I can shine my light for us at night.
You don't want to sleep in the dark,
Do you?
Kiki shudders.
I guess not,
She sighs.
Go play now,
Then we'll talk again tonight.
Fred starts snoring instantly.
The picnic is in two days,
She thinks.
Her heart races.
Why doesn't Fred understand that I can't go alone?
I'll have to run away until after the picnic.
Kiki gallops off deep into the forest.
She crawls under the leaves of a fern,
Worrying wildly.
What if I slip and fall down the mountain?
What if one of us gets hurt and a leopard comes to catch us and I lose my new picnic basket and… Kiki is very scared.
Big tears drip down her nose.
Nothing will ever be alright again,
Ever,
She sobs.
The fern rustles.
Something has come to catch me.
I won't have to go to the stupid picnic anyway.
Someone strokes her gently.
I see you're crying,
Kiki.
Violet the flower fairy is sitting next to her.
What's wrong?
I'm scared to go to the school picnic at the top of the mountain,
Kiki whimpers.
Violet smiles kindly.
I think I can help.
Let's take a deep breath to relax.
Square your shoulders.
That's better.
You know Kiki,
I worry a lot too.
Worrying is not always bad.
It's one of the ways our thoughts keep us safe.
Sometimes we worry about things that are not real.
Then our thoughts send us false alarms and our worries get in the way of what we want to do.
We have to find ways to figure out when a worry is real and when it is a false alarm.
How do we do that?
Kiki gasps.
What if we put your worries in a jar to keep them safe?
Then we take them out one by one to decide if the worry is real or a false alarm.
Violet swishes her wand three times and a jar magically appears.
Now I want you to tell me your worries.
I will pop them all in the jar.
Kiki swallows nervously and then she starts.
What if it rains on the day of the picnic and we get wet and cold?
What if I slip and fall down the mountain?
What if I can't climb all the way up and the others laugh at me?
What if we get lost and I never see Fred again?
What if everyone else is faster than me and I fall behind?
What if one of us gets hurt and a leopard comes to catch us and I lose my new picnic basket and.
.
.
Every time Kiki shares a worry,
Another worry creature drops into the jar.
Is that all of them Kiki?
Violet asks.
I think so,
She answers.
What do we do now?
Before we look at your worries,
Let's think about your special talents.
What are you good at that will help you get up the mountain?
Well,
Everyone always tells me that I'm quite fast.
Fred says I am light.
.
.
Light-footed,
Especially when I jump around rocky places.
Very good,
Violet takes a worry creature from the jar.
Do you think worrying that everyone else will be faster than you is a real worry?
Not really,
Kiki answers softly.
Violet makes the worry creature disappear with her magic wand.
Violet and Kiki take the creatures out of the jar one by one.
Some of them disappear and some go back in the jar.
It's much easier to think about one worry at a time,
Kiki says brightly.
Exactly,
Answers Violet and now I'll tell you one last secret about worries.
Sometimes something we have to do seems big and scary.
But if we take it step by step like climbing stairs,
It's easy.
You don't have to think about getting all the way to the top of the mountain,
Just take one step at a time.
Kiki nods.
Getting to the picnic spot seems much easier now.
Then Kiki has an idea.
Can you come with me to remind me Violet,
Please?
I'm sorry Kiki,
The picnic is only for your friends and teachers.
Kiki's ears droop.
I can see you feel sad Kiki,
But don't worry,
I have something for you that might help.
This magic stone will help you to remember everything we talked about.
Thanks Violet,
I feel braver already.
Violet giggles.
I'm glad I could help.
Remember to believe in yourself,
You can do this.
Next time I see you,
You have to tell me all about your picnic.
I will,
Answers Kiki.
She prances home to show Fred her special stone.
We can't wait to tell him everything Violet said.
