It's bedtime now.
Time to snuggle into bed and let your eyes softly close.
Let's take three deep breaths together.
Ready?
Good.
Notice how warm and safe and comfortable you feel.
Keeping your eyes closed,
Allow your mind to travel with the sound of my voice.
Beneath you,
Your bed has transformed.
You sense that you are perched high above the ground in a very fragrant tree.
Your arms are cuddled against your chest.
Your head rests lightly with your chin cradled in the coarse fur of your arms.
Your body is perfectly balanced in the fork of two branches.
Your rough paws with their strong claws keep you safely anchored to your tree.
You slowly open your eyes to find that it is nighttime.
You have peacefully slept through the hot day,
And now your belly is telling you that it's time to find some food.
Fortunately,
You don't have far to go since the trees that make up your home range are full of your favorite leaves.
Your body is stout and the coarse fur of your back is gray.
Your chest is covered in cream colored fur,
And you notice a smelly spot on it that is a bit sticky.
Your eyes are small and brown.
You have a leathery black nose and big fluffy ears.
You grab higher on the tree trunk with your arms.
Your front paws have three fingers and two opposable thumbs,
Making the grabbing easy.
With your strong back legs,
You walk your way up the tree.
Your back paws with their four toes,
Two of which are fused together for when you want to give yourself a scratch or to get those pesky ticks off of you.
You also have an opposable thumb without a claw,
Which makes climbing a breeze.
You decide that you want to forage in a different tree.
You loosen the grip you have with your arms,
And using your powerful legs,
You propel yourself into the air.
Your arms and legs anchor you to the tree you aimed for,
And you again launch into the air.
You find this feeling so liberating that you don't wish to stop,
But your tummy is telling you that you must eat,
So you settle on a limb.
You slowly make your way to the tasty leaves.
You sink your sharp front teeth into the eucalyptus leaf,
Tearing it.
Then you use your back teeth to cut and grind the leaf.
It tastes so good.
You keep eating until you have had your fill.
These leaves,
Though they are your favorite food,
Are also very difficult for your little belly to digest,
And it takes a lot of energy for your body to break down those leaves and give you enough nutrients.
You notice that this has made you quite tired.
You find a nice perch in the tree to rest your heavy head and take a nap.
You start to feel a deep sense of relaxation come over you from the tips of your fluffy ears,
Down the length of your head,
Down your back,
Into your body,
Down your arms,
And all the way to your legs and feet.
You let your eyelids become heavy and gently let them close.
Your breathing becomes deep and soft and effortless.
You are completely comfortable resting in the branches of your fragrant eucalyptus tree.
You breathe in the smell of the bark and the leaves and the air.
The muscles in your body release,
And you are fully supported by the tree beneath you.
You are completely relaxed,
And you let yourself drift off to sleep.
Good night,
Little koala.
