727. Brave Little Seed: an original short story for kids

Anton Acorn is scared to grow into a tree, but Wilma Willow helps him get comfortable with change. Narrator: Female Story Begins: 4:04 Brave Little Seed Excerpt: It was a beautiful, cozy afternoon by the Ahway Island creek. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves of the trees. Birds chirped joyfully, flitting from branch to branch, and the sun shined down through the branches overhead, warming the grass and wildflowers on the ground. In an oak tree overlooking the creek, Anton Acorn hung delicately on a branch enjoying the view. Anton clung tightly to his branch, taking in the picturesque view below. However, he soon noticed that his branch was gradually lowering closer to the ground. Anton felt conflicted. On the one hand, he loved being up high and looking out over the creek. But on the other hand, he knew that Oswald, the oak tree he lived in, didn't appreciate the extra weight of his branches caused by the acorns. Even though he knew that Oswald got annoyed with acorns, Anton didn't want to leave the tree. He enjoyed the sense of security and comfort that being nestled in the branches of Oswald's tree provided him. Besides, he felt like he was contributing to the beauty of the world by being a part of it. Today’s Meditation: Feel calm and relaxed as you imagine a baby elephant and its mama. Creating the original bedtime stories and art for Be Calm on Ahway Island takes a lot of time and care. As a listener-supported podcast, we truly appreciate our members on Patreon. If you're not already a member, please consider joining! Writing, recording, editing, and publishing episodes and managing digital platforms is an enormous endeavor. Our Patreon program will help continue to grow Ahway Island and we hope you will support us! You can choose from 3 different Membership Levels, all of which include access to our Archives and an extra episode each week! Are you and your children enjoying our stories and self-soothing meditations? Looking for ways to help your child learn emotional regulation and how to self soothe? You'll find it on Ahway Island®. Be Calm on Ahway Island® Podcast offers original bedtime stories, like "Happy Dragon" paired with meditations for kids. We help them drift off to sleep with a guided relaxation and a calming story. Gently nestled within each podcast episode are mindfulness techniques and positive learning moments.  To learn more about our mission at Ahway Island and our team, please visit our website. In the press: Read about how and why we created Ahway Island in this feature from Global Comment! Zzz! The Boston Globe recommends "Be Calm on Ahway Island" as as one of "Eight Podcasts That Could Help You Get Some Sleep." SheKnows recommends us as as a podcast you and your kids will love! Digital Trends warns listeners that "you may not make it through an entire episode fully conscious." Yay! Thanks for joining us to be calm on Ahway Island!