Once upon a time there was a fluffy white bunny rabbit.  She lived in a beautiful forest with many happy trees.  It was a cheerful place, and she had many friends to play with.  Yet the bunny was scared.

Once when she was little a big red fox had chased the bunny and she had to run very fast to get away.  Now it is a very sensible thing for a bunny to be afraid of red foxes, and she did a very good job of running away, but the bunny got so scared she forgot what she was afraid of.

It happened she no longer lived where there were red foxes, and she was very safe, but the bunny was used to being scared and started to believe that was part of who she was.  The bunny forgot that being scared was a feeling, and started to believe it was her identity.  If anyone asked, she would say, “I’m bunny, and I’m scared a lot.”  As she got bigger she learned to use bigger words for it, saying “I have an anxiety disorder”, or “my nervous system is wired wrong”.

She knew this was true because every time she felt nervous, her mind would tell a story about the feeling and how she always felt this way.  She got very used to feeling like her life was in danger, and her thoughts got very good at repeating this idea.  Now she didn’t feel the feelings, instead she felt the thoughts about the feelings, and they were scary.

As it happened, one day she was hopping through the forrest wishing she didn’t have to feel scared all the time, when she came across a very old and very powerful wizard.  She knew he was old and powerful because he had a long white beard and a big wizard’s hat.  The wizard was also kind, which she could tell because he had twinkly blue eyes and a warm aura (the bunny was good at sensing auras).  The bunny felt he was safe, but then her mind jumped up and began to question if she was really safe or if he was a big fox in disguise.  It wasn’t long before she was all trembly with fear again.

“It’s okay, I’m very safe,” said the wizard.

“Oh, you probably are,” the bunny sighed fretfully.  “But you see, I have this problem.  I can never feel safe, I’m always trembly and scared.  I wish I wasn’t, but I have a condition.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” the wizard said.  “It must be very tiring to be scared all the time.”

“It’s exhausting!”  cried the bunny, forgetting she was scared of the wizard in her relief to share about how horrible being scared was.

“I believe I can help,” said the wizard, twinkling with an extra friendly aura.

“Pills haven’t helped,” said the bunny, and proceeded to share a litany of drugs and the various ways they had failed to work.  “Nothing works for very long because I’m just scared all the time,” she finished.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” the wizard said.  “And I suppose you’ve already tried a magic necklace?”

“A magic what?”

“A magic necklace, I happen to have one here,” and the wizard pulled out a beautiful gold chain that was just exactly the right size for the bunny.

“Oh it’s beautiful!” the bunny exclaimed, because it was.

“It’s also magic,” said the wizard.  “It helps you notice what you’re thinking.  Every time you feel scared about something, the necklace will remind you to pause, take a breath, and notice you’re thoughts.  You might be nervous about the red leaves in the forrest because they remind you of the red fox who chased you when you were little.”  The wizard knew this because he was psychic.

The bunny was amazed.  “I am nervous because the red leaves remind me of being chased by a red fox!  I hadn’t even thought about that!”

“So maybe you’re feeling a very reasonable feeling, and your thoughts can help you by noticing that red leaves are very different from red foxes, and you’re safe now.”

“It would help if I had the necklace on,” whispered the bunny shyly.

“Here you go,” said the wizard, and bent and placed the beautiful gold chain over the bunny’s fluffy head.  She felt safer knowing it was there, but she was still trembling.

“What if it doesn’t work?” she asked fearfully.  That was when the bunny noticed she was thinking about all the other things she’d tried that hadn’t worked and forgetting that she hadn’t tried a magic necklace before.  She also remembered that she’d long ago left the forrest with red foxes, and was now in a safe place with happy trees and many friends.

“Every time you have a scared thought, the necklace will remind you to check in with what it is, and notice what you’re feeling underneath the thoughts.”

“I feel…excited to try this,” said the bunny after a moment.  Sometimes when she felt excited her heart beat fast, like when she was scared, and she confused being excited with being scared.  Now she was able to tell the difference.

“The necklace will help you feel things without telling a story about your feelings,” said the wizard.  “The more you can feel your feelings without telling a story about them, the easier your life will be.”

The bunny loved her necklace very much, and was grateful to have met such a kind wizard.  She happily hopped on her way.  After a few weeks of remembering to check in with her thoughts every time she thought she was scared, she started to notice all the feelings she had that weren’t scared at all.  It took time, but after a while, the bunny forgot she had a problem, and just explored having fun as a bunny.

And fortunately for us, the magic necklace works for all who hear of it.  For just in learning of its power we can adapt it for ourselves.  It works especially well for those of us who are always sad, or lonely, or angry, or…