Bedtime with Mrs.
Honeybee Today we will be up on the honeybee hilltop,
Where we can look out over all there is to see.
A warm gentle breeze blows over us,
Swaying the tall grass as if it wants to show us something.
All you have to do is close your eyes,
Get cozy and listen to the sound of my voice.
Mrs.
Honeybee will be your guide.
Let's begin.
You are here at the top of a tall,
Quiet hill.
Look your head all the way to one side until you can feel a little stretch and see the sunshine glittering all the way down the grassy hill.
Look your head all the way to the other side,
To an endless field that is bending with the wind.
Bring your gaze back to a comfortable center and take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
Feel the coolness of the air coming in through your nose and expanding out your chest.
Then,
Slowly,
Breathe all the way out through your mouth.
For as far as you can see,
You are surrounded by this field of brilliant green grass.
A warm breeze swells and wraps around you like a whirling hug,
Then calms back down.
Each time the breeze picks up,
You watch the grass bend gracefully with its invisible force,
Never feeling the need to struggle against the wind,
But knowing that it will come just as it will go.
Up on this hill,
You look your face to the sun and let it shine down on your cheeks,
Feeling its warmth inside and out.
There are puffy white clouds traveling through the sky,
One at a time,
Each one carried by the same breeze that gently touches you now.
As it carries the fluffy clouds,
It pushes them together to combine into interesting shapes,
But it disperses them,
Pulls the clouds apart so they can move on through the sky.
The breeze is like a river that we cannot see but feel.
Just as we feel the breeze,
The breeze reminds us that everything we feel so intensely right now,
Like fluffy clouds combined into a menacing or funny shape,
Will disperse in a moment as it passes along,
Flowing in the endless river of time.
This too shall pass,
The good,
The not so good,
And everything in between.
That's why we appreciate all that we have,
The moment we have it,
And also why we know that we can always keep going,
Even when it feels impossible.
Simply turning your back to the breeze,
You might find yourself carried to new heights,
Somewhere you never thought possible.
The breeze brings just as much as it carries with it on its way out.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
Allow gratitude to swell in your chest along with your breath.
Then slowly breathe all the way out through your mouth and feel the sensation of your heart beating once,
Twice,
Three times.
Each time you breathe out through your mouth,
You create your very own breeze that swirls around the world.
Your gratitude for this moment and this one,
As each moment passes,
Travels out from you to someone who may need to feel it too.
It wraps around them like a loving hug just when they need one.
Give the world around you your best whenever you can.
Looking all around you on the top of this grassy hill,
You see that gray plumes of smoke are gathering off to one side of the hill,
Off in the distance.
When the breeze picks up again,
This time you smell a little hint of smoke that it brings with it.
There's a forest fire nearby,
And although forest fires are a natural part of forest life,
They can still be scary as the flames blaze.
All of this travels on the breeze,
Letting everyone and everything around know what's happening,
Know that they have to steer clear of that area.
The wind can serve as a warning in that way,
Heightening your senses to let you know that you should take a second look in the direction that it came from as something comes to pass.
Take another slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
As your chest lifts,
Remember with your heart the gratitude that glows and grows there.
Then slowly breathe all the way out through your mouth,
As if you could extinguish the forest fire below with one blow.
Once again,
The breeze calms down enough for your loving exhale of the breeze to put out the blaze.
The smells of smoke dissipates and leaves only warm sunshine and the fresh smell of grass in the air.
Off in the distance,
On the other side of the hill,
You can hear the echoes of a birthday party just getting started.
When the breeze picks up again,
It carries their happy voices and joyous smiles all the way to you up here.
The smell of birthday cake,
The sounds of a bouncy house being inflated,
And buoyant feelings of celebration fill the air.
Take another slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
As your chest expands,
Absorb as much of the goodness as you can in this moment.
Soak it in like the sunshine.
Then slowly breathe all the way out through your mouth and allow yourself to be heavy here,
Fully supported by the soft grass beneath you and the gentle breeze at your back that helps you stand a little taller.
The birthday party winds down until the last guest has left with their goody bag full of party favors.
The breeze carries them on too as they continue on,
Just like each of us in perpetual motion.
Even while you're sleeping or seated perfectly still at the top of this hill,
You have a spirited breeze of breath coursing through your giving all of your body what they need to do,
What they have to do for you to be you.
Take your slowest,
Deepest breath in through your nose.
Feel the coolness coming in through your nose,
Filling your lungs and invigorating your whole body.
Then slowly breathe all the way out through your mouth and give it all away to the breeze.
With each breath,
We can remember that even while we're not moving,
Many crucial parts of you are being moved by the breeze of your breath.
In that way,
The breeze,
Both the one you encounter with your inhale and the one you create with your exhale are always new.
The breeze brings newness to us through our breath.
That's why the word for breathing,
Respiration,
Is so close to the word inspiration.
To be inspired is to breathe new life in,
And with that,
You can do anything you set your heart to.
Whether that's following wherever your imagination leads,
Or giving yourself the biggest hug for being brave,
Or even just continuing on in stillness,
Observing your breath,
Your thoughts,
And your feelings as they come and go like a breeze.
Always remember,
Mrs.
Honeybee believes in you.
You are special and you are loved.
I can't wait to see you again.
