Hello beautiful little one.
My name is Kelly.
Thank you for joining me for this bedtime story tonight.
So just begin by snuggling down into your bed.
You can bring your favorite blanket or stuffy with you,
Whatever feels right.
Allowing your head to rest gently on your pillow and maybe bringing your covers all the way up to your chin so you can be very comfy.
And now take a nice deep breath in and let it out your mouth.
And now just breathe in whatever way feels good to you.
Maybe counting your breaths.
One,
Breathing in.
Two,
Breathing out.
Three,
Breathing in.
Four,
Breathing out.
And breathing in this way until you get to 10.
Well done.
Go ahead and breathe in whatever way now that feels good to you.
And as you're breathing,
Just bring your attention to your feet.
Noticing what's happening in your feet and coming up into your legs and your hips and your bottom.
Coming up into your belly and your back,
Up into your chest,
Your shoulders and down into your arms and your fingers.
Maybe giving your fingers a little wiggle.
Coming up into your neck and your face.
And as you do,
Just allow your eyes to close.
As you focus on my voice,
As I tell you this story of stone soup.
Once upon a time,
There was a small village which was inhabited by people who didn't have much.
They didn't like sharing their things with others as they didn't have very much.
They would lock their windows and doors tight and keep all their possessions they had for themselves.
One day,
A visitor passed through the village.
He was very hungry and tired from his long journey.
He stopped at the first house he could see and he knocked on the door,
Hoping to get some food.
The woman inside cracked open the door a little and asked,
Who are you?
The man said,
I'm a traveler and I was passing through your village.
I'm very tired and hungry.
Can I please have something to eat?
Go away.
We hardly have any food here,
Replied the woman.
I doubt you'll find anyone here who has any food to spare.
We're all very,
Very poor,
Said the woman.
And after she said this,
The woman closed the door in the traveler's face.
Well,
The traveler wasn't ready to give up and he picked up a large stone from the ground and he knocked again on the woman's door.
The woman came to the door and opened it only halfway.
What do you want now?
Asked the woman.
Since you are poor like me,
Maybe you'd like to have some of my stone soup.
It's delicious and fulfilling,
The traveler said.
Stone soup,
You say,
Laughed the woman as she saw the stone in the traveler's hand.
You can't make soup from a stone.
To that,
The traveler replied.
Yes,
You can.
I've done it before.
The woman didn't believe him as she'd never seen someone make soup from stones before.
However,
She was hungry too,
So she invited him in.
She lit the fire and placed a kettle of water on top and opened the windows to let the heat out.
The traveler placed the stone in the water until the water started boiling.
He took a sip of the hot liquid and said,
It's almost done,
But if you just add a little salt and butter,
It would taste much better.
The woman went to her cupboard and returned with salt and butter.
And as the traveler was adding them to the stone soup,
The woman's husband returned home with carrots and potatoes in his hand.
What are you cooking?
Asked the woman's husband.
Stone soup,
Replied the traveler and the woman.
The man could not believe this and thought that it was impossible to make soup out of a stone.
It's almost finished,
The traveler said,
As he tasted another spoonful of the soup.
However,
It would taste much better if we added carrots and potatoes to it,
Said the traveler.
The husband was also hungry,
So he agreed to add some carrots and potatoes to the stone soup.
Soon the smell of the soup drifted out of the open window and down the lane.
A neighbor who usually stayed inside,
Wandered out and followed the smell all the way to the first house.
There he heard the woman,
Her husband,
And the traveler talking about the stone soup.
Is the soup ready now?
The woman and her husband asked the traveler.
Yes,
But it would be even better if we had some turnips and beans.
I have some,
Yelled the neighbor who was watching from the window.
The neighbor was curious to taste the soup made of stone,
So he returned with turnips and beans.
He poured them into the pot and the smell of the soup drifted further into the village.
Word of a traveler making soup out of a stone drew the villagers out of their houses and toward the woman's house.
They all followed the smell.
Is the soup ready yet?
Asked some of the travelers when villagers when they came to the window.
Yes,
But I remember having stone soup with fresh chicken and broth in the stew once,
Replied the traveler.
I have some chicken,
A farmer said,
And he ran home to get some.
I have broth,
Exclaimed another villager who ran to fetch it.
They both came and placed the items into the pot.
By this moment the pot was full to the brim with goodness.
The traveler tried another sip of the soup.
Perfect,
He exclaimed,
And then he proceeded to serve a bowl of soup to every villager.
It's delicious,
Said the villagers.
Where can we get this magic stone?
Asked some others.
The traveler shook his head and pulled the stone from the soup.
The villagers realized that it was just a normal stone and the flavor of the soup came from the ingredients,
Not the stone.
The traveler drank what was left of the soup and continued on with his journey.
The villagers realized the importance of sharing and from that day on they lived happily ever after.
And they realized that sharing with others can lead to greater,
More pleasant results.
And now as you become more and more sleepy,
As your arms and legs begin to feel more heavy,
You become more and more relaxed,
Sinking deeply down into your comfy bed as you listen to the sound of my voice.
Or maybe you can hear some sounds in the room around you and you can let the sounds fade away and pay attention to the rhythm of your breath,
Getting slower and slower,
Becoming easier and effortless as your eyelids are getting heavier,
Knowing you can drift all comfy and cozy in your bed into blissful,
Sweet slumber.
And tomorrow you will awake refreshed and energized,
Ready to start your day.
Sleep well little one.
Namaste.
