Olivia the ostrich was the fastest ostrich in the whole wide savanna. She zoomed when she ate, she zoomed when she played, and she *especially* zoomed when it was almost bedtime! “Faster, faster!” she’d chirp, trying to finish everything before the sun went down. But zooming at bedtime always meant she forgot things!
Tonight was no different. Mama Ostrich had laid out Olivia’s bedtime routine: a warm dust bath, a story, and then snuggles. But Olivia zoomed through the dust bath, kicking up so much dust she could barely see! Then, she zoomed past her storybook, grabbing a shiny pebble instead. “Pebble is faster than stories!” she declared.
Mama Ostrich gently smiled. “Olivia, darling, zooming makes it hard to relax. Bedtime is for slowing down. Let’s try the dust bath again, nice and slow.” Olivia took a deep breath and tried. It felt…good! The warm dust felt cozy, and she didn’t feel rushed.
Next, Mama Ostrich opened the storybook. It was about a little firefly learning to blink at just the right pace. Olivia listened, and she noticed how peaceful the firefly’s blinking was. She put down the shiny pebble. “Stories *are* nice,” she admitted.
Finally, it was time for snuggles. Olivia snuggled close to Mama Ostrich, feeling warm and safe. “I usually feel so wiggly at bedtime,” she whispered. “But tonight, I feel…calm.”
“That’s because you slowed down, my sweet Olivia,” Mama Ostrich said, stroking her feathers. “When we rush, we miss all the good parts of bedtime. A calm routine helps us rest and dream sweet dreams.”
Olivia yawned a big ostrich yawn. She closed her eyes, feeling peaceful and sleepy. She realized that even the fastest ostrich in the world needed to slow down sometimes, especially at bedtime. From that night on, Olivia still loved to zoom during the day, but at bedtime, she always remembered to slow down, take a deep breath, and enjoy the cozy calm.