by Suzanne Katanic
~ 2 min read

The magic bench was a bench like any other. It was made of gray stone, its legs carved with gentle curves. This bench sat quietly in the middle of a rose garden in a busy city park. Every day, people ran, walked, and biked past it. Some wore headphones, some chatted with friends, hardly noticing the bench at all.

One day, Anna came and sat on the bench. She had been busy for so long that the busyness had started to spin around inside her like a never-ending merry-go-round. She had asked the Dream Spinner for help, and he had led her here.

"What, only a bench?" Anna asked the Dream Spinner. "Where are the answers? Where is the direction I’m looking for?"

But the Dream Spinner just smiled and drifted away on the breeze. So Anna sat quietly on the bench and closed her eyes. She listened to her breath. She felt her feet rooted on the ground. Slowly, her mind quieted. She felt her heart and her belly. She sat like this for a long while, until the whirling inside her slowed to stillness.

Finally, she whispered to the bench, "What do I do with my time?"

The bench came alive and answered, "Spend your time wisely. Follow your heart. And make sure to sit quietly every day."

A warm golden glow filled Anna’s heart. When she opened her eyes, the roses seemed brighter, the grass greener, and the sky a more brilliant blue. A little squirrel scampered up a tree in front of her, and she noticed it and felt happy.

Everything had come alive, all from sitting on the magic bench.

#mindfulness #storytime #naturemagic #meditation #slowliving #dreamwork #dreamspinner #dreamsymbolism