Athena's Experiment

Children's story about Athena, a girl who experiments with how her thoughts help to create her experience. Themes of choosing happiness and empowering yourself. About 27 minutes of story, with 3 minutes of music and nature sounds at the end.

Transcript

Welcome dear ones and thank you for joining me.

I'm going to tell you the story about Athena,

A very special girl who learns about how powerful she truly is.

So let us first start by taking a nice full body stretch all the way down to your toes and up through your body and all the way out to your fingers and relax and we can take a nice deep breath.

All right let's begin our story.

Athena had a best friend named Lily.

Athena and Lily spent every moment they could together.

They played together after school,

They played together on the weekends and had overnights whenever they could.

Lily told Athena that when summer came she was going to go to a super fun sleepover summer camp for two weeks and Lily asked Athena if she could go with her.

Athena asked her mom,

Please please please can I go to the summer camp with Lily please?

The summer camp was a bit expensive for Athena's mom but she saw how much Athena wanted to go and Athena begged her day after day.

So Athena's mom was very careful with her spending and made some sacrifices like canceling her own plans to take a vacation.

After many months finally Athena's mom was able to sign Athena up so she could go to that two-week sleepaway camp with Lily.

When Athena's mom told her that she could go,

Athena was thrilled.

The girls were so excited.

They talked day and night about how much fun they were going to have.

It was going to be like a two-week sleepover where there were no rules,

No parents and they could hang out and do whatever they wanted.

School did end and summer finally came and the time to leave for camp grew closer and closer.

And then one day Lily went over to Athena's apartment and she looked sad.

In fact her eyes looked red like she had been crying.

Athena asked her,

Lily are you okay?

Lily responded in a small and quiet voice,

I can't go to camp with you.

My mom got a new job.

Athena just looked at her friend,

Oh I guess it's good about your mom but why can't you go to camp?

Lily said,

Well we all have to move to another state for her new job and it starts next week.

Athena was crushed.

I mean she knew Lily was sad and worried and she knew it wasn't Lily's fault that she couldn't go to camp.

But the whole point in going to the camp was so that she and Lily could be together.

Of course Athena couldn't say anything about that because most importantly she did want to be supportive to her friend who was sad because she had to move away from the camp.

Lily was sad because she had to move away from everything she knew.

Athena gave Lily a hug.

She said,

I'm sure your move will be okay.

I know you will find a good life there and everything will be fine.

Lily wiped her eyes and said thank you.

Then she turned and went back home.

When Athena got back inside where Lily couldn't see her anymore she collapsed on the floor and began to cry.

Her mother came,

Athena what's wrong what's the matter?

Athena sobbed,

I don't want to go to camp anymore.

Lily can't go because they have to move and I don't want to go by myself.

Athena's mother thought for a moment,

Oh Athena I'm so sorry.

I know you were so excited to go to this camp with Lily but it's too late to cancel you now.

I've spent a lot of money on that camp sweetheart and now I have to travel for work during that time.

I'm afraid you're still going to have to go.

With that realization Athena felt even more devastated and the days leading up to the time that she was to go to camp Athena couldn't seem to shake her sad mood.

She tried to pack,

She tried to get excited but all she could think about was how all her plans were ruined because Lily wouldn't be there and she was going alone.

No she didn't want to admit it to herself a part of her felt angry about what happened to Lily and her family and another part of her was afraid because she had no idea what to expect.

What if people were mean to her?

What if she got hurt?

What if it was scary being away from home all by herself for the first time for two weeks?

As they were driving to the camp Athena stared out the window despondently.

Her mother tried to encourage her,

Tried to cheer her up.

Athena you were so excited about this camp.

There's a lake and a pool,

There's horses,

There's dancing,

Music and all kinds of activities.

There's crafts and painting.

Maybe you can make some new friends.

Athena could barely hear what her mother was saying and she was in no state to be able to change her sad mood.

She thought to herself I don't want to make new friends.

This is going to be the worst experience of my life.

Her mother dropped her off,

Gave her hugs and kisses and said goodbye.

As Athena went into the camp she noticed that all the kids seemed to have friends already.

Everyone was running around happily hugging each other or talking to someone and so she stood there alone.

She was so sad and she was so lonely.

After some time a camp counselor with a brightly colored name tag,

Aparna,

Came over to her and said,

Okay you're Athena right?

You must be.

You're the only kid I don't recognize from last year.

Welcome newbie.

Athena nodded slowly.

Aparna said you're in cabin seven and I'll be your cabin mom.

It has the best view of the lake.

Follow me.

Athena followed Aparna to cabin seven.

The cabin was made of wood and looked very rustic.

There were four bunk beds in the cabin so Athena assumed there would be seven other girls sleeping in the cabin with her.

Athena saw that all the other beds had already been taken and the only one left was the one against the far wall on the bottom bunk.

Athena didn't want the bottom bunk.

She wanted the top bunk.

Of course things were continuing to be horrible.

She put her things down in a little cubby next to her bunk bed and then followed Aparna back out to where the groups were gathering for the welcome introduction.

The camp supervisor told all of them that this was going to be the best two weeks of their life.

Athena rolled her eyes.

Yeah right she thought.

The supervisor told them that in addition to the campwide fun there were also special activities that they could sign up for.

There was a big list posted and every camper would look at the big list and pick the three extra special activities they wanted to do.

Athena reluctantly looked at the list and half-heartedly picked horseback riding,

Modern dance,

And artistic painting.

Then all the girls split up into their different cabins to relax until bedtime.

Inside cabin seven,

Athena met her cabin mates and they all seemed to know each other from previous years.

Athena introduced herself while looking away like she didn't care and then sat alone as the girls all played Would You Rather before going to bed.

Aparna insisted on lights out at 9 p.

M.

Athena wasn't even tired so she just stared out her window for hours feeling miserable,

Angry at life,

Left out,

And missing Lily until she finally fell asleep.

The next morning the hot sun shone down right on her and woke her up.

No wonder no one else wanted that bed.

After breakfast Athena didn't like her horseback lessons.

She got the slow horse and they had to clean out the smelly stalls and brush the horses down and fill their water.

It was hard work.

Later in her modern dance class it wasn't any fun either.

The dance studio was hot and stuffy and there were always bugs flying around.

Plus there were so many other kids packed in that studio that Athena could barely hear or see anything the instructor was doing.

So she just stayed in the back and tried to remain unnoticed.

So she just stayed in the back and tried to remain unnoticed.

And then during her painting class the teacher demonstrated how to paint flowers using watercolors and how to use the various mixes with water to add layering and shadows and texture.

Athena did not want to paint a flower.

She wanted to paint a face with a great big eye.

As the days went on Athena felt more and more lonely.

More and more miserable.

Everything about camp reinforced what she had known from the beginning.

That this would be the worst experience of her life.

After the first full week it was time for her call home with her mom.

Athena was almost in tears.

I want to go home mom.

I hate it here.

Everything is horrible and I hate every single moment.

Her mom replied,

Oh honey I'm so sorry you aren't having fun.

I know you're so disappointed that Lily isn't there and it can be and it can be really hard to be in a new place where you don't know anyone.

It's worse than that.

The counselors are mean and don't care.

All the kids already know each other and it's basically a work camp for the horses and all the activities are terrible.

I want to go home mom.

Please come get me.

Please.

Her mom thought for a moment.

Sweetheart I'd like you to try something for me.

Athena rolled her eyes.

She knew what was coming.

Some bit of wisdom her mom was going to give her to try and help her be able to stay in this awful place.

She didn't want to hear it but at the same time she was just so glad to be talking to someone who loved her and cared for her.

So she reluctantly responded,

Okay mom what is it?

And her mom said,

You know you started this week by saying that you were going to have a miserable time and you see you were right.

Even though all of your camp counselors and all of the activities and everything there at that camp is designed to help you have fun.

Your choice to be miserable was stronger and more powerful than all of those outside forces combined.

Athena was silent.

Her mom continued.

So do you see how powerful you are?

Do you see how much control you have over what you experience?

Athena didn't know how to respond.

I mean some of what her mom was saying seemed to resonate a little but she still didn't know what it meant exactly.

However it did sound sort of profound and Athena did like the idea of being powerful.

Her mom went on.

So I'd like you to try something.

Why don't you try to change your choice,

Your outlook,

Your expectation for the second week.

Expect to have more fun the second week than the first.

Decide to look on the positive side of things.

Make the choice to speak up for yourself if something's not working for you.

Allow yourself to be open to new experiences.

Know that you have the power to make it a great week because you can choose to be happy.

So will you try to make this different choice?

Athena was still silent.

It was a lot to think about.

Her mother said,

Please just give it a sincere shot.

I mean it won't work if you don't try it fully and honestly.

Athena finally said,

Let me think about it mom.

I don't know if I can do it.

Her mom said,

Athena I love you with all my heart.

I am so proud of you for getting through this hard situation and doing your best.

It's not what you expected.

You wanted Lily to be there and I only want your happiness.

Athena replied,

I love you too mom.

I guess I can try.

That night lying in her bottom bunk at 9 p.

M.

Athena thought some more about what her mom said.

How she actually had more control than she thought.

One thing she wondered though is if she forces happiness all the time is she just living in denial?

Did that mean she would miss the truth by forcing positivity on to misery?

Athena thought about it some more and she knew her mom would never want her to try to be happy about something that actually caused her pain or was unhealthy for her.

So she wondered if she really was able to change her focus to align more with positivity,

To shift her perspective a little bit,

To set her intentions towards having fun,

Would that actually make a difference?

I mean she knew that it wouldn't work unless she really committed to it.

She was a little bit afraid of being disappointed,

Of hoping to feel happiness only to have it fail.

But she decided she'd give it a try anyway.

She realized she had nothing to lose.

She already had one miserable week and she really would rather have a great week if it was possible.

So she went to sleep telling her mom that she was going to try.

She was going to try to make it real.

So she went to sleep telling herself,

This week it's going to be great.

I'm going to have fun,

Make new friends,

And have new experiences.

Everything's going to work out fine.

In fact,

I'm going to say I'm thankful for the great time I had at camp.

She really tried to make it real for herself.

She imagined herself being sad to leave camp.

She imagined herself feeling connected with some of the other girls at the camp.

And she imagined herself saying,

Thank you,

Thank you for this great amazing week.

The next morning when Athena woke up,

She was still in the bottom bunk and the sun still shone down on her through the window.

But as she looked out the window,

She saw how beautiful the lake looked.

And she even noticed that there were actual lily flowers growing along the path to the lake.

Because of her name,

This was a game that Lily and Athena would play.

Who could spot the lily flowers first?

Athena was surprised she didn't notice them sooner.

And she smiled to herself.

None of the other beds had this same view.

As Athena's cabin mates were getting ready to go to breakfast,

Athena timidly asked them,

Can I go with you?

One of the girls,

Veronica,

Said,

Of course,

If you want to.

We thought you didn't want to come with us because you looked kind of angry.

So we were afraid to even ask you.

Athena put on her biggest smile and told them the truth.

Oh,

Sorry.

My best friend was going to come to camp with me,

But she couldn't make it.

So I've been pretty bummed about missing her.

Another cabin mate,

Hillary said,

Oh,

That's so sad.

Well,

You can come hang out with us.

Oh,

And we'd love to have you on our capture the flag team tonight too.

Athena nodded gratefully.

During her horseback riding class,

She took a moment to really look at her horse.

His name was Pepper and he was white with black flecks.

When she looked in his eyes,

They seemed so soft and gentle.

This time when she brushed him,

Instead of feeling like it was a pain to do,

She paid attention to how Pepper responded to her touch.

And she tried to send him love through her fingers.

She even enjoyed giving him clean,

Fresh water and even cleaning up the stall didn't seem so bad.

It was still smelly,

But she felt good about giving Pepper a clean place to rest.

Then during her dance class,

She decided to move closer to the front.

So she could see what the teacher was doing.

She even asked a question about her foot positioning and the teacher gladly went to her and showed her the proper technique.

The room was still hot and there were still bugs,

But Athena really picked up some of the moves by the end of the class.

It felt good to move with confidence and coordination to the music.

And finally,

During her art class,

The teacher started by demonstrating how to paint a landscape and all the other campers tried to copy her.

Instead of just going along unhappily,

Athena asked her teacher if she could try to paint a cat instead,

Because she really loved drawing and painting eyes.

And she really wanted to get the shape and depth and color of a cat's eye just right.

Her teacher smiled.

Of course,

Sure,

You can paint anything you want.

I make suggestions and pick a theme each day for those who want to learn a new style,

But you're always welcome to paint whatever you want.

As Athena worked on her cat painting,

Her art teacher showed her some techniques to make the eye look very reflective and the green little flecks really pop.

Athena loved how the painting was looking.

That night after dinner,

The whole camp divided into teams to play capture the flag.

And Athena felt pleased to be wanted and included in her cabin's team.

They didn't win,

But they got close.

And Athena realized that she really did have fun.

By the end of that second week,

Athena had learned that when she sat on Pepper,

He would go faster just by her leaning forward.

It was amazing to communicate with this big,

Beautiful animal just using her body language.

She realized he had only been going slow because of the tense way she had sat on him at first.

She fell in love with Pepper and he would trot over to her each morning to be brushed.

She had successfully mastered the dance routine in her class and she enjoyed watching all the dancers move in unison.

And she also learned a lot about how to draw and paint the things she loved the most.

And her art teacher always seemed to spend a little more time with her,

Guiding her with suggestions and encouragement.

Athena realized that she was truly going to miss it.

In fact,

She was sorry that she had wasted the whole first week because she could have been having fun that whole time too.

When her mom came to pick her up,

She asked Athena how the second week went.

Athena replied,

I sort of hate to admit it,

But I tried what you suggested and it really was a great week.

Her mom replied,

Do you see?

Do you see now how powerful you are?

I mean,

Nothing changed about the camp.

Not really.

It was the same people.

It was the same classes,

The same activities,

The same place,

But you changed.

You were the one who made all the difference in the world.

Athena responded,

I think I'm starting to get it.

I mean,

It's sometimes hard to remember how much control I have over every moment,

But this experiment really did show me how much my choices and attitude can reflect and create my experience.

Her mom looked her deep in the eyes.

My love,

You are getting it now.

You see how this transformed your week.

Imagine a month of such choices,

A year,

A lifetime.

Imagine a lifetime of choices that are empowering,

True to your heart and bring you joy and connection.

Imagine saying,

Thank you for my amazing life.

Do you see how much momentum you can build?

Do you see how not only you can make one great week,

But you can create an entirely spectacular life?

There will be hardships,

Challenges,

Bumps in the road,

Things that are out of your control,

But you always have control over how you handle them and what kind of life you want to have.

The choice is yours.

Athena thought about what her mother said the whole ride home,

And she decided that she did want to be in control of her life and that she did like having fun and feeling connected more than she liked being sad and angry.

She was grateful that she had the power to create her own happiness.

The end.

And now,

My dear friends,

What do you choose?

I choose good health.

What do you choose?

I choose good health and satisfaction for you all.

I choose purpose and connection for you all.

And I choose love and joy for you all.

Sweet dreams.

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