the squirrel Story: Finding Fun Ideas
Sami the squirrel felt like nothing was fun. “Everything is so boring! Just boring, boring, boring!” he said. “Mom, I’m so bored. There’s nothing to do.”
Mom said, “Why don’t you fix those broken toys, radios, and telephones you’ve been collecting? Don’t you like tinkering with those little gadgets?”
“But I don’t feel like doing that today,” Sami replied. “Maybe Sophie can help me think of something fun.”
Sami knocked on Sophie’s door. Knock, knock, knock—no answer.
“Sophie went to the library,” Mom said, “to return the books she borrowed last week. She might bring back another big stack!”
“Well, at least she’s not bored,” Sami said.
“You can have fun too!” Mom said. “Why don’t you go see Spike and see if he wants to play with you?”
So, Sami went to Spike’s house.
Porcupine Spike was lying in a hammock.
“Hey, Spike, what are you up to?”
“What does it look like?” Spike said. “I’m lying in the hammock!”
“I’m so bored,” Sami said. “Can you help me think of something fun to do?”
“Sure!” Spike agreed immediately. “Come lie in the hammock with me.”
Sigh. Sami sighed. “Lying down is even more boring.”
Spike said, “Well, I don’t think so. Since you’re bored, why don’t you go see what Lily is up to?”
So Sami went to Lily’s house.
Skunk Lily was in her room drawing.
“Hey, Lily,” Sami said. “I’m so bored. Can you help me think of something fun to do?”
“No problem!” Lily said. “Help me draw a portrait of my little elephant doll, and then we can make a frame with red paper. Or, you can help me dye the fur on my tail.”
“Uh…” Sami said, “I don’t feel like drawing. Do you have any other fun ideas?”
“I can’t think of anything else,” Lily said. “I think drawing is the most fun thing to do. Maybe you should go see what Kuku is up to.”
So Sami went to Kuku’s house.
Bear Kuku was lying in the grass, staring at something through a magnifying glass.
“Hey, Kuku,” Sami asked, “what are you doing?”
“Ants!” Kuku said. “I’m watching ants!”
Kuku pulled Sami over and handed him the magnifying glass. “Lie down! You can see lots and lots of ants. They’re so cool!”
Sami looked through the magnifying glass and said, “Oh no! I don’t want to look at ants. They give me goosebumps! Can’t you think of something fun to do?”
“I can’t think of anything,” Kuku said. “I’m really focused on watching ants. Why don’t you go see what Hoppy is doing?”
So Sami went to Hoppy’s house.
Rabbit Hoppy was practicing shooting hoops on the path in front of his house.
He passed the ball to Sami. “How about a shooting contest?”
“No, I don’t want to play basketball,” Sami said. “Can you help me think of something fun to do?”
“Watch me! Here comes Hoppy with a big dunk!” Hoppy didn’t answer, but instead jumped really high and dunked the ball into the hoop.
Sigh. Sami sighed. It seemed no one could come up with a fun idea for him. Maybe he’d have to go play with A-Li, the little tag-along. So he walked over to A-Li’s house.
A-Li’s grandma was busy painting the porch. Sami greeted her, “Hello, Grandma! Is A-Li home?”
“A-Li has a sore throat and is lying in bed,” Grandma said.
“Oh no! That’s terrible,” Sami said. After a pause, he added, “I’m so bored. Grandma, do you want to play with me?”
Grandma laughed, “No, little Sami. I’m busy right now.”
Sami started to complain, “No one can make me happy. This is so frustrating!”
“Hmm? Is that someone else’s fault?” Grandma said. “Making yourself happy is your own job. How can you blame others?”
“What do you mean by that, Grandma?” Sami was a little confused.
“I mean you should find something fun to do yourself, instead of waiting for others to help you. Pay attention to the things around you. Think carefully, and you’ll definitely find something fun.”
Sami looked around. He saw the white clouds in the sky, he saw the green trees providing shade, and he saw three trash cans neatly lined up in front of the yard. On top of one of the trash cans was an old radio, with wires sticking out all over the place.
Suddenly, Sami had an idea.
He asked A-Li’s grandma, “Don’t you want that old radio anymore?”
Grandma said, “No, it’s been broken for a while, so I threw it out.”
“Can I take it?” Sami asked. “I love fixing radios!”
“Of course,” Grandma replied.
Sami picked up the radio and brought it home. He sat down on his bedroom floor and started working on it. He spent several hours on it, and just before lunch, he had fixed the radio. Sami even decorated it with some pretty ribbons and stuck on lots of little stars. Then he took it to show A-Li.
Growing Tip:
To make yourself happy, don’t rely on others. Instead, start with your own interests and hobbies to find things that bring you joy. This not only makes you happy but helps you learn more too.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
