Hello dear soul,
Tonight I will tell you a simple story,
A story about a little turtle and the strength that comes from going slow and being kind.
Close your eyes,
Take a soft breath and let the story begin.
A long time ago,
In a green forest full of tall trees and singing birds,
There lived a small turtle.
His name was Ansu.
Ansu was not fast,
He was not big,
He was not loud,
But Ansu was kind and Ansu was patient.
Every morning he woke up and said,
Today I will walk slowly,
I will help others and I will enjoy the way.
One sunny day,
Ansu was walking to the river.
A young deer ran past him,
Splashing water everywhere.
You are too slow,
Laughed a deer.
You will never catch up,
Ansu just smiled and said.
The river is always there,
I do not need to run.
The deer laughed again and ran away.
But later that day,
A big storm came.
The river grew wild,
The deer got lost and scared.
Ansu found him.
Come with me,
Said Ansu in his soft voice.
Step by step,
I know a safe way.
And so,
Slowly and safely,
Ansu helped the deer find his home.
Another day,
Ansu met a beautiful peacock.
The peacock said,
Why are you so slow and quiet?
Nobody will notice you.
Ansu just bowed his head and said,
I don't need to be noticed,
I just want to be kind.
The peacock flew away,
Looking for more people to admire him.
But Ansu stayed with the forest,
Helping small animals every day.
He helped a bird with a broken wing.
He helped a fox with a thorn in her paw.
He helped a butterfly stuck in a web.
Slowly,
Gently,
Kindly.
Now,
Imagine you are walking with Ansu.
You feel the soft ground under your feet.
You hear the birds.
You smell the sweet flowers.
Nobody is rushing.
The trees are not rushing.
The stars are not rushing.
Everything happens in its right time.
And you are moving just right.
One day,
There was a big festival in the forest.
All the animals brought gifts.
The fast ones brought the fruits.
The strong ones brought shiny stones.
The pretty ones danced and sang.
Ansu arrived last.
He brought a small,
Simple stone from the river.
The other animals laughed.
That's not a gift.
But then,
A big storm came.
The fruits washed away.
The songs stopped.
The shiny stones were too heavy to carry.
But Ansu's little stone helped build a strong shelter.
All the animals stayed safe because of Ansu's gift.
Breathe softly now.
Remember,
Dear soul.
You do not need to be the fastest.
You do not need to be the loudest.
You only need to walk your path with kindness and love.
Like the little turtle,
Your heart is strong.
Rest now.
You are exactly where you need to be.
