Some days, Scarlettâs feelings felt like they fit neatly inside her.
And some days⊠they didnât.
This was one of those days.
Everything felt too much, all at once.
The noise felt louder.
The air felt heavier.
Even choosing which sock to wear felt impossible.
Scarlett sat on the floor and wrapped her arms around herself.
âI think my feelings are too big,â she said quietly.
Lenny the Lion rested beside her, his soft paw touching her arm. Lenny had been around long enough to know something important:
Big feelings arenât dangerous.
Theyâre just loud.
At Scarlettâs feet, Pudding plopped down with a dramatic sigh and stretched out as long as he could, belly flat against the floor.
Scarlett watched him.
Pudding didnât try to run away from the feeling.
He didnât try to make it smaller.
He just stayed.
Scarlett tried something new.
She put one hand on her chest.
The other on her tummy.
She felt her breath move in⊠and out.
The feelings didnât disappear.
But they stopped growing.
Scarlett imagined them like a big wave.
Waves donât stay tall forever.
They riseâŠ
They crashâŠ
And then they fall back again.
âI donât have to climb over you,â she whispered to the feeling.
âI can let you pass.â
She stayed right where she was.
Lenny stayed too.
Pudding stayed very close.
And slowly â just slowly enough to notice â the big feeling softened into something she could hold.
Scarlett stood up when she was ready.
Not fixed.
Not finished.
But steadier.
And she learned something important that day:
Big feelings donât mean something is wrong.
They mean something needs gentleness.
And gentleness, Scarlett was discovering, was something she already had.
𫶠A gentle wonder to share
Have you ever had a feeling that felt too big?
What helps it soften, even a little?