A boy sits in his favorite tree.
He likes to sit and watch the world go by as he listens to the wonderful sounds of nature all around him.
A rustling in the grass grabs the boy's attention.
A little field mouse,
All in a panic,
Is running around in circles.
Why are you running around in circles?
Asked the boy.
The little mouse answered in a rushed voice.
I'm all in a panic because I think I'm lost.
I can't find my friends and I need to get home before it gets dark.
The boy smiled and said,
Climb up and join me and my friend Ollie Oak Tree.
We will show you how to calm down and see things more clearly.
And we promise you will find your friends and be home before dark.
The little mouse climbs up the tree and sits next to the boy.
The boy wriggles his back up against the trunk of Ollie Oak Tree and with a gentle voice speaks to the mouse.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath.
Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose.
Breathe in and out.
The mouse,
Surprisingly,
Starts to feel a little more relaxed.
The boy continues to speak softly.
Imagine that you are my friend,
Ollie Oak Tree.
Your head,
Shoulders and arms become his branches and leaves.
Your chest,
Back,
Tummy,
Hips and legs become his trunk.
Your feet are his roots growing deep into the earth.
As the mouse imagines he has become Ollie Oak Tree,
He notices he is starting to feel strong and still.
The boy continues,
Imagine that your roots from your feet are spreading deeper and deeper into the earth.
You are standing so strong that nothing,
Not even a tornado,
Could push you over.
The little mouse feels so big and strong that nothing,
Not even a tornado,
Could push him over.
The boy speaks slowly.
Breathe in through your leaves and branches and out through your roots deep into the earth.
Breathe in,
Out.
As the little mouse feels his breath coming in through his leaves and branches,
Shooting down through his trunk and out through his roots deep into the earth,
He could feel all his worries drop away.
The little mouse and the boy continue to breathe like this for the next few moments,
Each breath releasing all their worries into the earth.
Breathe in,
Out,
In.
The little mouse loved how relaxed his body felt,
How strong and still his mind is.
The world felt peaceful.
After a few moments,
The mouse was ready to open his eyes.
The first thing he saw was his friends playing in the grass not too far away.
The mouse thanked the boy and ollie oak tree from the bottom of his heart and skipped off happily to join his friends.
The boy noticed it was starting to get dark.
He gave his old friend ollie oak tree a big hug and thanked him for teaching the little mouse how to slow down,
Feel calm and balanced and see things more clearly.
