Wee Wisdom
We hope you and your children will fall in love with the gang from Wee Wisdom Village. Join Spunky the Skunk, Willow the Owl, Allie the Cat and Ratta Tat the rappin’ Rat on their weekly escapades. Learn about living a Spirit-filled life every animated step of the way.

Chasing Butterflies

The sky over Wee Wisdom Village was a bright, vivid blue. Willow the Owl was flying along on a gentle breeze, just swooping past a tree when she heard a screech and saw Allie the Cat.

“Allie, what in the world are you doing way up in this tree?” Willow called out as she flew in for a landing on a nearby branch.

The cat was holding on tight with all of her claws and her back was arched up in fear. Even her teeth were chattering. Allie said in a high-pitched voice, “I was chasing a butterfly and thought I’d catch it if I just climbed this tree. I didn’t realize how high I was until it was too late. Now I can’t get down!”

“Hmmmmm,” Willow nodded slowly, looking pretty calm. “Here’s what I would suggest. I was just reading about how to relieve stress and I think if you follow these three easy steps, you’ll be able to get down.”

“I’ll try anything!” Allie wailed.

“OK, first you have to find the problem. And that’s pretty easy, right? Clearly, you are stuck up a tree and afraid of heights,” said Willow. “So the next step is to find a way to look at the problem differently.”

Allie looked down at the ground far below and said, “How am I supposed to see this differently?”

“Well, instead of looking down, try looking around. We have a great view of the whole Village from up here,” Willow started.

Allie nodded. “And check out all the cool things up here in this tree. I’m getting a close-up look at the leaves and there’s even a squirrel’s nest over there.”

“You’re on the right track,” said Willow. “Now for step three. Even though you are feeling super stressed, you need to find a way to relax. Try taking some deep breaths, closing your eyes and imagining you are back down on the ground.”

Allie what Willow said, and after a few minutes the arch in her back flattened out and she opened her eyes and let out a sigh. “All right. I’m feeling much calmer. Now, can you tell me how to get back down?”

“I thought you’d never ask!” laughed Willow. Then she showed the cat how to hold on tight as she climbed down from branch to branch, shimmied down the trunk, and landed safely back on solid ground.

“So much for chasing butterflys!” Allie said. Next time I think I’ll just watch them from down here where I feel safe!

Question for Kids: What makes you feel stressed out? Try using these three steps when you are experiencing that stress. First, identify the problem. Next, find a way to look at it differently. Finally, relax by taking deep breaths and try to imagine yourself conquering the fear.