The Enchanted Trampoline (Bedtime Story)

Bedtime with Mrs.

Honeybee.

Today,

In the Honeybee neighborhood,

We'll be bouncing.

Bouncing on the bounciest bouncer ever bounced.

Bounce.

Bounce.

When you say it so much,

It stops sounding right.

Bouncing.

Bounciest bounce bounce.

Whatever it's called,

The world's bounciest trampoline isn't going to build itself.

Come on,

Let's get set up before our little Honeybee gets here.

Right behind you,

Mr.

Honeybee.

Me too,

With all of my five eyes.

I only see two,

Melody Bee.

Did you misplace your others?

No,

They're hidden secret eyes.

Perfect for balancing a trampoline,

I assume.

We'll need all the help we can get.

It's huge.

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,

Walking up to our house,

Where Harold and I are sitting out on the porch,

Waiting for you to arrive.

As you walk up the driveway,

Harold's puppy smile grows,

And he leaps down to run to you.

Harold,

Our favorite person is back.

He is so happy you're here,

My little Honeybee,

And he just can't help but give you plenty of puppy kisses.

Harold,

You're such a good boy.

You just love it when our little Honeybee stops by,

Don't you?

Harold is extra excited because the neighborhood got a very special treat today.

No,

Harold,

Not those kinds of treats.

You'll never guess what it is,

But I know you're going to love it,

So try guessing what it is.

If you guessed a herd of unicorns,

That's not it,

But you're a good guesser because that's close.

No,

We didn't get a house-sized bouncy house for that empty lot around the corner either.

Unfortunately,

Permitting for one of those is much more complicated than expected.

Mr.

Honeybee is looking into it,

Though,

And it should happen someday.

Those were great guesses,

But not quite right.

The neighborhood got a trampoline!

Mr.

Honeybee is at the pupple park putting it together with Melody Bee and Roger Robot right now.

It's going to be the biggest and the bounciest trampoline you've ever seen.

A couple of weeks ago,

The whole neighborhood got together and organized a neighborhood-wide yard sale,

Or what we called a let-it-go,

Let-it-grow sale.

Each of us went through our houses,

Top to bottom,

And found so many things that we weren't using that could be useful to someone else,

Someone who might need just that thing.

When we let something go,

We both free up ourselves,

But also give others a new chance to use these things we do not.

And who knows what that can grow into for them.

We put signs all around and put our recycled things out in our yards.

There were so many visitors that by the end of the day,

Absolutely no things were left in our yards.

All of the unused things found good homes where they were used and appreciated.

That is,

All except for one single thing,

Which happened to be hidden just out of sight,

Completely by accident.

I saw it and couldn't believe my eyes.

It was a wishing well.

Just sitting there,

Empty but full of potential.

It's rock-solid and made by someone's grandfather's grandfather,

Who collected the stone over many hikes in the forest.

One of our neighbors brought it over on a dolly.

It's so heavy.

And they left it in the garage where they couldn't move it an inch further.

And there it sat,

Waiting.

When Mr.

Honeybee and I saw that,

We knew it needed to have a second life at the community garden.

So we cleaned it up,

Dollied it out,

And installed it there.

Oh,

Hello,

Mr.

Honeybee,

Dear.

Did you all get the trampoline put together?

Our little Honeybee is here visiting.

We're about to go check it out.

Hello!

So nice to see you again.

You're going to love it.

Yes,

We finally got the trampoline all put together and upright.

Melody Bee kept trying to help,

But whenever she did,

That part of the trampoline was somehow flipped upside down.

She technically has five eyes,

But none of them seem to see straight.

It's true.

He speaks the truth.

You can't tell,

But I have three more eyes tucked away under here.

They're great for setting up electrical fields to organize millions of bees out over the entire neighborhood,

Out far and wide.

But they're not so good for building trampolines.

But Roger had it handled,

Literally.

That is also true.

When in need,

Spawn a hand,

Or ten.

It's really a pity that you cannot change shape immediately.

That's one robot advantage I have.

Well,

That's why we have you by our side,

Roger Robot.

You can be whatever you set your mind to,

And or whatever we need.

That said,

Roger's ten hands and I had to take it apart and puzzle it back together a couple few times.

I had no idea that delicate balance applied to trampolines,

But it absolutely does.

Have you ever tried to bounce on a crooked trampoline?

Melody Bee tried to,

Since she had a hand in making it crooked in the first place.

We warned her how dangerous it was to jump on it when it's crooked.

And let's just say she's lucky she had wings to break her fall after the trampoline collapsed.

And now we have the biggest and bounciest trampoline you've ever seen.

I'm so excited to see it.

Did you tell our little Honey Bee the story of how we got it?

Oh yes,

I was just getting to the good part.

So,

We installed the wishing well at the community garden,

Right?

It must have been by a secret wish that it wasn't taken by any of our visitors.

But it wasn't.

The entire neighborhood gathered around the wishing well when it was set up,

Trying to figure out what we were wishing for.

It's not every day that you come upon a wishing well,

You know.

So we were mindful of the incredible opportunity we had as a neighborhood.

We decided to seize the day,

As well as the opportunity,

And fill the well with water for wishes.

Together,

As a neighborhood,

We all took a slow,

Deep breath,

In through our noses,

And out through our mouths.

Then,

Very slowly,

We filled the well with water from the several hoses,

While Mr.

Honey Bee and Roger Robot made sure the mechanics were all sound.

There was a hidden pail at the bottom of the well that was closed shut.

We couldn't crack it open with our hands,

Because it was all part of a specific mechanism,

Like an old-fashioned Rube Goldberg machine.

At first,

Nothing happened.

We thought something was wrong with the well,

Because the pail wouldn't come back up once it was lowered.

But then,

We heard a little rattling sound,

Like something was stirring inside.

We all leaned in over the well and watched closely for what was going to happen next.

The rattling sound grew into a shake,

And the pail was slowly lifted to the top.

It was rattling and jiggling all around the well,

Like it was dancing.

Then,

Just as suddenly as it started,

It stopped and went silent and completely still as it pulled all the way from the top.

I just had to see what was rattling inside this pail,

Because the gears were still going.

So,

With the whole neighborhood peeking in along with me,

I slowly tried to lift the lid off this pail,

Thinking it would be filled with water.

I still couldn't open it,

But suddenly,

The pail opened mechanically on its own.

And inside,

There wasn't any water,

But there was a coupon for the biggest and bounciest neighborhood trampoline that you've ever seen.

We still don't know where it came from,

But we think that in exchange for all the things we gave away,

Someone special wanted to give us one thing they knew we'd all definitely use forever.

We went straight to the trampoline store and gave the clerk the coupon.

Apparently,

This is the only coupon of its kind.

He had to make a couple calls,

And all the parts came in one by one over the next few days.

I'm so excited that you're here to see the finished product and to be the very first Neighborhood Bounce.

This trampoline is so big and so bouncy that it couldn't fit in any of our backyards.

And since it's for the whole neighborhood to use,

Even some of the most adventurous pups,

We decided to set it up at the Pupple Park.

We set off to the Pupple Park with Harold to finally see the trampoline.

It's a perfectly lovely day for a bounce.

There are a few puffy clouds in the sky,

But it's not too warm and not too cool.

It's the perfect temperature to enjoy a little walk.

The clouds slowly move in front of the sun,

But do not block the persistent,

Comfortable warmth.

When they do,

They make cloud-shaped shadows on the ground beneath them that you're able to walk through.

There's one coming up.

You can feel the difference between the warmth of the sun shining down on you,

Then the coolness of the cloud shade.

And to think,

Clouds are really just a bunch of teeny,

Tiny,

Frozen water droplets hanging there in midair.

Take a slow,

Deep breath in through your nose.

Feel your chest and your spirits lift in anticipation of seeing the world's biggest and bounciest trampoline.

Then slowly breathe all the way out through your mouth and listen carefully for the first sign that you are getting close to the Pupple Park.

You always tell you're getting close to the Pupple Park because you can hear the faint quacks of the ducks who live in the park pond off the Honey River.

Oh,

And look in the sky.

There's a whole vee of ducks heading to the park along with us.

They must have gotten word about the trampoline,

Too,

And that you are visiting.

Word travels fast among ducks.

They're always out quacking around.

I wonder if they can see us from way up there.

They're flying so high that it looks like they have to weave their V-shape around the clouds.

Actually,

I didn't know this,

But here's an interesting duck question.

Do you think ducks can fly as high as airplanes?

They can.

It's true.

Ducks can fly as high as airplanes,

Which is very important information for both ducks and airplanes.

Ducks do have really good vision,

And it's nearly impossible to fool or sneak up on a duck.

Trust me,

I've tried.

Let's see if they can remember the duck hand signals we practiced last time they migrated to the neighborhood.

Oh my goodness,

They do!

They remember!

Look at them!

The ducks are flying in a special formation.

They are spelling out your initials,

My little honeybee.

Do you see them?

Right over there.

That's how they say hello when they're flying as high as airplanes.

We finally arrive at the park and see it in all of its glory.

The biggest and bounciest trampoline you've ever seen.

We can hardly believe our eyes.

It's nearly the size of the park grass itself.

Is that the sun reflecting off of it,

Or is it actually sparkling silver?

I think it's sparkling.

There must be something even more magical about this trampoline.

Come on,

My little honeybee.

You have the honor of the first bounce.

Hop right up.

You carefully climb up,

Remembering that this is the bounciest trampoline in the whole world,

And maybe in the whole universe.

Hmm.

The trampoline store clerk never said where these parts were shipped in from.

When you get up there,

My little honeybee,

Try just walking before you bounce.

You quickly realize it is hard to even walk a couple steps without bouncing.

Focusing on walking first,

You find yourself looking down at your feet as you walk.

Right foot,

Left foot,

Right foot,

Left foot.

From down here,

It looks like you're an astronaut floating and bouncing along the surface of the moon.

That gives Mr.

Honeybee an idea about where these parts could have shipped from.

Wait a minute.

Could these trampoline parts have come from the moon?

It's so bouncy that it just may be.

And the sparkle all along the trampoline?

Look,

It's on you now,

Too.

Little honeybee,

You're sparkling just like the trampoline.

You reach down and try to catch a single silvery sparkle on your fingertip,

Then hold it up close and take a look.

You hold it up close,

And it shines like millions of teeny tiny diamonds held in a single sparkle.

This can only be one thing.

This is most definitely moon dust.

So that makes this not only the biggest and bounciest trampoline in the universe,

But also a literal moon bounce.

That wishing well must be very powerful.

It was up to something,

And now that something is clear.

Since this is a moon bounce,

That makes your honorary first bounce all the more special.

But we have to be prepared.

Have you ever realized that astronauts never go to the sun?

They've only gone to the moon so far.

They don't go to the sun because the sun produces so much light and so much energy that it's best enjoyed from Earth.

But the moon,

The moon actually does not produce any light at all.

Whenever you see the moon in the sky,

That is actually a reflection of the sun's powerful light off of the moon's powdery and sparkly surface.

The moon reflects.

Here on this moon bounce,

With the sparkles of moon dust surrounding you,

Held weightlessly by the biggest and bounciest trampoline,

You too can take a moment to reflect,

Just like the moon.

During the neighborhood let it go,

Let it grow sale,

The neighbors got to talking.

And we realize that just as we've accumulated things that we don't use throughout our houses and palaces.

We have also accumulated thoughts in our minds that we may not need.

Take a slow deep breath in through your nose.

And think of your mind as a house,

Any kind of house.

What color is your house?

Is it big or is it small?

Then breathe all the way out through your mouth and open the front door of your mind house.

Look inside.

Is it cluttered in there with boxes of thoughts that block the entryway?

Just like we did in the many yard sales we've had.

Do you have things you don't need anymore that you can give away?

Do you have thoughts that make it difficult to move around freely and play inside your mind house?

A thought that doesn't let you enjoy the whole place that you have to yourself?

A thought that you get the absolute privilege to design?

If there's clutter in the house in your mind,

You can have your very own let it go,

Let it grow sale.

You can pick up each thought or maybe a collection of thoughts that you pack up in a box.

And you can carry it outside of the house and let it go.

When we have let it go,

Let it grow sales with the thoughts in our minds.

It's a special form of reflection,

Just like the moon.

You have the magical ability to think about each thought you think.

Isn't that amazing?

I'll show you.

Right now in your mind,

Think of a unicorn balancing carefully on a beach ball.

Now in that same mind,

Think about what the unicorn and the beach ball looked like.

Was your unicorn pink or white or a different color?

Was the beach ball red,

Yellow,

Blue or different colors?

Did you imagine the unicorn balancing on the beach ball at the beach in the sand or somewhere else?

You have the magical ability to think up anything in a way that no one else can and then reflect on it.

When you think about your thinks or the thoughts we think,

That's reflecting.

As fun as some things are,

You ultimately get to decide which things stay and which things go.

Another magical ability of your own mind is that you cannot not think.

I'll show you.

Right now in your mind,

Right where the unicorn on the beach ball was,

Stop thinking altogether.

No more thinks allowed for a moment.

What happened when you tried to stop thinking?

Did you actually keep thinking?

Thought so.

Now,

Since that was tricky,

How about you try this?

Try to think about nothing instead.

Right now in your mind,

Think about nothing.

Imagine nothing.

No,

Not a pitch black room that you cannot see anything in,

But nothing.

Did that work?

Didn't think so.

That's because you are always thinking,

Always creating something in your mind,

Always relating to the world and its phenomena around you.

You are always thinking about something.

You are a creative,

Thinky person by your very nature.

When you reflect on the some things you think or be mindful of them,

You can make sure only the best things are thought.

Take another slow,

Deep breath in through your nose.

And think of one thought that you don't need anymore.

One that doesn't let you feel like the sparkling star currently covered in moon dust that you are.

Then slowly breathe all the way out through your mouth and pack that thought into a box.

Close it up tight,

Then let it go from your mind house.

You can do this over and over until all the clutter is gone.

And then when your mind house is cleared of all the things you do not need,

When it is wide open and full of sunshine,

Then you will be amazed at all the little things that you can notice that can then grow into miraculous things that can change your life in surprising ways.

When you get them all out,

Quiet yourself,

Both inside and out.

Your whole body,

Which you use to run,

Play and bounce on moon bounces,

Seems like one thing as you go through the day.

But really,

You are made up of millions of teeny tiny pieces all working together in unison.

Your eyes have teeny tiny little muscles and cells opening and closing them automatically to protect your vision from the elements and all this moon dust.

Your legs have muscles with knee bones under them made especially for jumping and joints under those and different kinds of cells within those.

Everything you are is working together right now,

But you cannot usually even feel it.

Only when you sit down,

Weightless on a moon bounce,

Can you really reflect on everything you are made of.

You can always remember and reflect on all of this by putting your hands on your chest one over the other and trying to find your heartbeat.

When you do,

Follow it for a moment.

Find its rhythm.

That is your rhythm,

A special one,

All your own.

No one else's can be just like yours,

And it's your privilege to follow it.

Take another slow,

Deep breath in through your nose and hold it in your chest.

Feel your heartbeat once,

Twice,

Three times,

Then breathe out through your mouth and be mindful of the green opportunity you have within you.

After you have your own let it go,

Let it grow sales,

You never know,

You may just find your very own wishing well of a thought hidden behind all the clutter that can take you to new heights.

Speaking of heights,

It's about time this moon bounce bounces its first bouncer.

When you stand up tall,

As steady as you can be on two feet,

Use that marvelous imagination of yours to do little bounces at first just to get your bounce legs ready.

Then when you're ready,

Get your imagination set and bounce.

Look at you,

You're flying through the sky,

All the way past the ducks in their V shape,

Flying as high as airplanes.

Past all the puffy white clouds and even past the atmosphere of this planet,

Right through the twinkling stars that blink on and off all around you,

Straight to the sparkling,

Reflecting moon.

You land swiftly and softly on the surface of the moon,

Suddenly wrapped in a soft,

Puffy space suit.

Maybe you should add an interesting patch on the arm of your space suit,

Or what about a rainbow colored,

Feathered boa as a scarf.

Go ahead and think of something to add now,

Before you bounce back down to earth.

You bounce right off the moon,

Then back into the atmosphere,

Back through the puffy clouds.

Watch out for those V flying ducks.

And here you are,

Back again in the neighborhood.

This trampoline definitely is magical,

Because it uses the powers of all your thinks to take you wherever you want to go,

Anywhere you imagine.

And when you get there,

You can be anything you can think of.

Where will you bounce to next?

Take another slow,

Deep breath in through your nose,

And think a good think about where you can bounce to.

Then,

Slowly,

Breathe out through your mouth,

And have a let it go,

Let it grow sail,

For any unwanted thinks that might have gotten in your way.

Maybe you can bounce to Mars,

The fiery red planet,

Or maybe to Australia,

To shake paws with a mama kangaroo and her joey,

Who is tucked away in her pouch,

But who peeks out just to say hi to you.

What about a place that has not even been thought of yet,

With a name made of new letters?

Your thinks can do that,

You know.

As you continue to bounce,

Take another slow,

Deep breath in through your nose,

And focus on where you'll bounce to.

Then,

Slowly,

Breathe out through your mouth,

And bounce there.

Always remember,

Mrs.

Honeybee believes in you.

You are special,

And you are loved.

I can't wait to see you again.