Rabbit Finds His Kind Mind
ServiceSpace
--Jon Madian
4 minute read
Dec 5, 2016

 

I have recently found myself writing some values-based educational pieces, featuring the wisdom of Tortoise after winning the race with Rabbit, who is much in need of wisdom. Wanted to share this one below. It could lead to introspective activities about "opposites" in awareness, and including nice art activities. I also am eager to share a series of "episodes" in which Tortoise Teaches Rabbit to Read. Thsi is idea for pre-readers/emergent literacy.

RABBIT FINDS HIS KIND MIND
 
"Good morning, Rabbit," said Tortoise,
slowly walking toward Rabbit.
 
"I have no time to say
Good Morning! Hello!or Goodbye!"
declared Rabbit.
 
"I see you are very busy," said Tortoise.
 
"Busier than bees in flowers full of pollen"
said Rabbit.
 
"I love being busy!
What are you busy doing?" asked Tortoise.
 
"Making art to show how hard it is
for me to find my kind mind."
 
"Oh, that sounds very difficult," said Tortoise.
 
"I am a good artist,
so its not too difficult," said Rabbit.
 
Tortoise took one more step.
 
"Stop!" yelled Rabbit.
"You just stepped on
the most important line in my art."
 
"Oh? It just looks like a line."
 
"It's not just a line," said Rabbit.
 
 "What makes it special," asked Tortoise.
 
"It has two ends,
so even though it is one line,
it is really two,"
said Rabbit.
 
"Hmm, I don't understand," said Tortoise.
 
"One end of the line touches the river,
so it is muddy and wet.
The other end touches this rock,
so it is dry as the sky."
 
"Rabbit, how does this art of making a line
from the cool river to the warm rock
help you to find your kind mind?"
 
"It helps me see that my mind
can have two opposite ends
like my line," said Rabbit.
 
"I do not understand," said Tortoise.
 
"I am a kind Rabbit, aren't I?"
 
"Yes, you are," agreed Tortoise.
 
"But am I always kind?"
 
"Well, ah… " began Tortoise,
but he did not know how to answer.
 
"You see, you do not want to say
how unkind I was to Owl
when Owl lost his favorite feather,
and I hid that feather in my house
and never told Owl.
At night I see Owl up in his tree
hoooting as he searches for his feather."
 
"But you were kind to Mrs. Rat
when she lost her baby,
and you helped her find it," said Tortoise.
 
"Yes, that is what confuses me,
sometimes I am kind,
sometimes I am not kind at all."
 
"Has making this art helped you
find why you are not always kind?"
asked Tortoise.

"Not yet, but now I see that
I am like my line with two ends
that finish in different places.
And one end never knows
where the other end is ending."

"That is confusing," agreed Tortoise.

"Yes, I am one me.
I am Rabbit,
but I have so many lines inside me,
and each line has two ends."

Tortoise nodded thoughtfully.

Then Rabbit said.
"Tortoise, you are always kind.
I think that means that all the ends
of your lines meet,
so all your lines must be circles."
 
"Oh, that is such a good idea,
said Tortoise," smiling at Rabbit.
 
Rabbit saw that as Tortoise smiled
there was a circle starting
at Tortoise's mouth and
going up into the sky.
 
"Rabbit," said Tortoise,
 I wonder if you have to learn to balance."
 
"Balance! Look, I can balance!" said Rabbit,
as he jumped up on a log,
and hopped straight across.
 
"Great balancing!
Now you can learn
to balance your feelings,
so if one end of you feels love,
and  the other feels angry,
you can balance those two opposite feelings."
 
Rabbit looked puzzled.
 
"It takes time to learn to balance
our feelings," said Tortoise,
sighing, and he took a deep breath.


Why did you sigh? asked Rabbit.
 
"I sighed, then I took a slow, deep breath, 
because I have to think with my heart."
 
"You think with your heart?" asked Rabbit.
 
"Oh, yes, it is my heart that helps me connect 
the two ends of all the lines
that go to opposite places inside me." 
 
"Yes, I think I must learn
to join the two ends
of the lines inside of me
to make each line a circle,"
said Rabbit.
 
"Yes," agreed Tortoise,
"and once you have
turned each line into a circle, 
the art is to turn each circle
into a heart… "

(c) copyright by jon madian.
all rights reserved.  

 

Posted by Jon Madian on Dec 5, 2016