Hey there,
I'm Steph,
And welcome to your bedtime story.
These sleep meditations are made just for you.
They're silly,
A little cheeky,
And full of heart.
With stories of larger than life characters that are oh so relatable.
That help your body relax,
Your mind feel calm,
And your feelings feel seen and safe.
Each one is a little adventure,
With characters like Koda the koala,
Koops the capybara,
And Ziggy the zebra.
All helping you wind down,
Breathe deeper,
And feel safe just as you are.
So get snuggled in,
Take a big deep breath in,
And out.
Let your arms and legs go floppy like spaghetti,
And let's drift into the land of sleep and stories.
Tonight's story is about one of our favourite feathery friends.
You might know him.
He's funny,
He's clever,
He's oh so kind,
And he loves football and beetles.
Yeah,
It's Oscar the owl.
But tonight,
Oscar's feeling a little,
Well,
A little off.
Not in a silly bum kind of way.
In a quiet,
Funny feeling in your tummy kind of way.
So let's see what's going on.
Oscar the owl had a big heart and an equally big personality.
He was the kind of owl who gave full body hugs with his wings and told long stories about exploding beetles and glow-in-the-dark bugs.
Most nights,
You could find him zooming through the skies with his best mate,
PJ the pelican.
PJ wasn't the fastest of flyers,
But they had great big belly laughs and they always bought amazing snacks.
They'd kick the football back and forth and back and forth through the trees,
Trying to score moon goals between the tall branches.
Lately,
Oscar had been spending more time with another friend,
Foxy the flying fox.
Foxy was cool.
So cool that he thought he was too cool for school.
He was pretty quick and he tried to be funny.
But it was in that kind of way where it was really hard to tell if he was joking or he's actually being serious.
He had a squinty grin and always knew what to say to make the other animals laugh.
But sometimes,
Actually quite often,
He said stuff that didn't feel very nice.
Like the time Oscar scored the winning goal and he did his victory bum wiggle mid-air.
Foxy scoffed and said,
What was that?
You look like a flapping feather duster.
Everyone laughed,
Everyone except Oscar.
His chest got tight and his tummy did somersaults.
His wings drooped.
He forced a small smile,
But something did not sit right in his tummy.
The more Oscar was around Foxy,
The more that feeling kept happening.
When Oscar was excited about something,
Foxy would roll his eyes.
When Oscar suggested ideas for their footy team name,
Foxy would shut them down.
Oscar laughed it off at first.
He thought maybe that's what some friends do,
Right?
But slowly he stopped suggesting ideas.
And slowly he stopped saying anything at all.
He stopped doing his victory dance when he scored a goal.
And eventually he even stopped hooting.
It was like the fun and Oscar's spark was leaking out of him drop by drop.
One night,
Oscar and PJ were having a quiet kick around under the stars.
PJ passed the ball and Oscar did a huge flying kick.
The ball bounced off a tree and landed right on PJ's beak.
Oh,
PJ laughed rubbing his face.
That was epic,
Oscar.
But then Foxy zipped in out of nowhere,
Landing between them.
Playing footy without me,
He said.
Just a quick kick,
Oscar said.
You know PJ's only on the team because you feel sorry for him,
Right?
Foxy muttered.
He's slow.
He can't even really fly.
PJ went quiet.
Oscar's feathers bristled.
Hey,
That's not true.
That's my best mate you're talking about,
Oscar said louder than he'd spoken in quite a while.
But Foxy just smirked and then flew off.
Something cracked open in Oscar's chest at that moment.
It was a mixture of anger and sadness and that weird fluttery feeling in his tummy that always meant something didn't feel right.
That night,
Oscar couldn't sleep.
His tummy felt tight and his wings felt twitchy.
And his brain kept looping around and around and around on all of the things that Foxy had been saying lately.
So he flew over to Nana Owl's tree.
She was already up.
Old wise owls never seem to sleep much.
And she was sipping bark tea and watching the stars.
Couldn't sleep,
Oscar,
She asked.
Oscar landed with a soft plop.
Nana,
How do you know if a friend's actually good for you?
Nana blinked slowly.
Hmm,
Tell me everything,
Oscar.
And so he did.
About all of the comments and the snarky remarks and the sly smiles.
The way Foxy made PJ feel and the weird heavy feelings he got in his tummy every time they hung out.
When he was done,
Nana had lots to say.
You know what,
Sweetheart?
Our bodies are really clever.
They know things before our brains catch up.
When you're with a friend that's kind,
Someone who really gets you and understands you,
Your tummy feels soft,
Your shoulders relax and your heart feels open.
And that feels safe.
But if you're with someone and your feathers go stiff and your belly twists or your chest feels squashed,
That's your body saying,
This doesn't feel good.
It's not silly and it's not dramatic.
It's your inner wisdom.
And it's important that we listen to these feelings.
I like to think of friends like candles,
Oscar.
Some friends,
They make your candle burn brighter.
They light up the dark for you and they warm you up from the inside out and they feel really safe.
And these friends love to celebrate you and all your sparkle.
And some,
Well,
Oscar,
Some friends want to blow your candle out bit by bit with mean words or bossy rules or little digs that poke holes in your light until you feel pretty rubbish about yourself and you're left in the dark.
Oscar looked down.
He'd taken on everything that Nana had said.
I think Foxy's been blowing my candle out,
Nana.
Nana nodded.
I think so too,
Oscar.
So what do you think you can do about it?
Oscar thought for a long moment.
Then he said,
Hmm.
Nana,
I think I might need to speak up.
The next night at footy,
Foxy was back,
Grinning,
Controlling the game and telling everyone what to do.
He shouted at Benny the bandicoot for missing a kick.
And he told Wanda the wombat she was too slow.
He even told Koda the koala that he can't kick a ball.
And he laughed hysterically at PJ for tripping over and hurting himself.
Oscar watched it all.
That twisty feeling came back in his tummy.
But then he remembered his conversation with Nana.
He could feel something new rising up in his body.
It felt solid.
It felt strong.
So Oscar flapped and flew to the middle of the pitch.
Hey,
Foxy,
He said.
His voice was clear and calm.
You've got to stop.
Foxy blinked.
What?
You're not being kind.
Not to me.
Not to PJ.
Not to any of us.
Foxy scoffed.
Calm down.
It's just a joke.
Oscar stood taller.
If it doesn't feel funny to the person hearing it,
It's not a joke,
Foxy.
It's just mean.
The clearing went quiet.
Foxy shrugged.
Whatever.
But Oscar didn't back down.
Friends don't make you feel small,
Foxy.
They don't make you feel like you can't do something.
And they don't make you pick sides.
And they don't make you feel bad about yourself.
And they definitely don't blow your candle out.
Then Oscar turned back to PJ.
Want to go have a real game?
PJ had to pick his big,
Long mouth up off the floor.
And he grinned.
Oh,
Oscar,
Absolutely.
And off they flew together.
That night Oscar felt lighter and calmer and brighter than he had in a long time.
His wings were strong.
And his heart,
Well,
It was practically glowing from the inside out.
He was still himself,
Loud,
Bug,
And football-obsessed Oscar.
But now he was something else as well.
He was proud.
Because standing up for yourself and for others takes guts and a whole lot of courage.
It's the kind of courage and bravery that makes your candle shine so bright it's enough to light the whole forest.
So,
My little loves,
If someone makes your tummy feel funny,
Or your chest feel heavy,
Or your sparkle feel small,
It's okay to take a step back and speak to a safe adult.
Your feelings matter.
And your voice matters.
And just like Oscar,
You deserve friends who see your magnificence and help your candle burn brighter and brighter rather than blow it out.
So,
Back in the forest,
The stars twinkle quietly.
And the forest sighs in sleep.
And you,
Just like our animal friends,
Are already halfway to dreamland.
Goodnight,
My little loves.
Sweet dreams.
Sleep well.
And we'll talk again tomorrow.
