229. A Surprising Friend: a meditation and calming story

Skyler Skunk wants to play with other animals, and everyone has to look past their differences. Hello everyone!  We hope you enjoyed our new story this week. Now, welcome to Favorite Friday! Sometimes we like to listen to our favorites again. Please enjoy “A Surprising Friend” and we’ll be back with a new story on Monday! Narrator: Male Story Begins: 9:14 A Surprising Friend Excerpt: The night sky was dark, as the clouds covered the stars and the moon.  A crisp breeze circled Skyler the skunk as he relaxed in the little forest clearing.  Above him clouds drifted along, pushed by the strong wind.  Skyler gazed up, eager to see the stars once the clouds drifted by.  “Achoo.” The little skunk looked away from he sky and back at the clearing to see who was watching the sky along with him.  He turned and said, “Hi!” Enthusiastically to the animal who had sneezed.   Riley Raccoon said “Hi!  It’s pretty dark tonight.  I’m hoping these clouds move away, so I can find a snack.  I feel a bit hungry.”   “Me too.” Skyler said.  “Oh I’m Skyler.”   “I’m Riley. Maybe we can go find a snack when it’s not quite so dark.” The raccoon replied.   That sounds good to me.” Said the little skunk.  At that moment the wind moved the clouds away from the full moon and it shined brightly.  Moonlight illuminated the clearing… and Skyler’s bright white stripes. Today’s Meditation: Feel your muscles relax as you check in with your body from head to toe. Looking for a podcast to help settle your child in for nap time, bedtime or a break?  You'll find it on Ahway Island®. Be Calm on Ahway Island® Podcast offers original bedtime stories, like "Nap Time," paired with meditations for kids. We help them drift off to sleep with a guided relaxation and a calming story. Gently nestled within each podcast episode are mindfulness techniques and positive learning moments.  To learn more about our mission at Ahway Island and our team, please visit our website. Creating the original bedtime stories and art for Be Calm on Ahway Island takes a lot of time and care. As a listener-supported podcast, we truly appreciate our members on Patreon. If you're not already a member, please consider joining! Writing, recording, editing, and publishing episodes and managing digital platforms is an enormous endeavor. Our Patreon program will help continue to grow Ahway Island and we hope you will support us! You can choose from 3 different Membership Levels, all of which include access to our Archives and an extra episode each week! Are you and your children enjoying our stories and self-soothing meditations? We hope your child loved “A Surprising Friend" We ask for your positive reviews to help others find us, too! Please leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast app (such as Apple Podcasts). And, please follow, like, and/or share our social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram ) to help us bring our original stories with positive messages to even more listeners! In the press: Digital Trends warns listeners that "you may not make it through an entire episode fully conscious." Yay! We’re honored that the website of Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems includes us on their list of