Intro: Pounding bass note and a stirring fanfare of horns. Welcome to another edition of Things to Think about. Here's Stacy. The horns continue with a keyboard note held.
Relaxing piano music is in the background.
Welcome to the Things to Think About podcast, where we use fables and fairy tales to uncover deeper truths about our subconscious world. I'm Stacy Casson, and today's story explores being overwhelmed. We will dive into the idea of falling behind in a tale I call “The Dam.” And now, get comfortable and relax. Take a deep breath in. And exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. And if you'd like, you can slowly close your eyes.
Once upon a time, there was a crack in the dam. The beaver was very busy, so it patched it with a rock and slapped some mud on it with its tail. Today it had meetings with the waterfowl fellowship who wanted more real estate at the pond’s edge. “Listen,” they challenged, “the fish are jumping, and that’s great and all, but we have the turtle association snapping up all the prime real estate to sunbathe.” The beaver’s family had been working on an expansion, but it was slow going since the humans kept blowing it up. “We are working as fast as we can,” the beaver assured them. They did not need to know about the food cache in the deep part of the pond. Winter was coming, and the beaver could read the writing on the wall.
The beaver enjoyed working at nighttime when most of the other animals were sleeping. There it could work without distraction. There was so much to do. The woodpeckers were also getting greedy, wanting more logs, and the black flies were getting ready to launch a counterattack against the dragonflies and bark beetles. The beaver hated pond politics. It just wanted to build its lodge and raise its family in peace. It got no rest in the lodge. Its mate had injured a foot and expected everyone else to pick up the slack. The kits were too young to manage the construction, so after a long night of foraging, the beaver also had to help its mate with the kits. The water levels were going down. It had to repair the wall of the dam. That was getting more and more dangerous.
The beaver construction had led to more salmon and trout coming to the pond, and with that came the bears. The beaver was constantly worried about its young kits becoming bear food. It was constantly trying to add escape tunnels to the habitat. There was so much to do. The old plant insulation was getting slimy and needed to be replaced. It also tried to show the kits what to do since its mate was injured. The animals that lived in the area kept making requests for more wood. When did the upkeep of the pond become the beaver’s job? It made the dam and its lodge. Once the place got nice, all the other animals suddenly wanted a piece of the action.
Yes, the water levels were definitely getting down to dangerous levels. The beaver was starting to see fish stranded on the land. The beaver clumsily walked to the other side of the dam to assess the damage. The waterfowls, woodpeckers, and flies be damned; if it did not get this dam fixed, it would be the end for everyone. It returned to the lodge to tell the kits to stay inside and help out. Its mate was craving water lilies. “I’m sorry,” the beaver said and left. The dragonflies were buzzing around, and the beaver ignored them. It needed to fix the dam and would not be deterred. It ignored the din from the flying things, and the tail slaps from its family up the way. As it cut down the trees it needed, some otters swam by, asking if they could crash at the lodge. “Whatever, I’m trying to save the pond.” Finally, the dam was patched up. The beaver swam home to loud, riotous sounds. Otter parties are the worst. The beaver turned around and swam through the escape tunnel until it emerged into the quiet.
And now, you can take a deep breath and exhale. Deep breath in and exhale. Deep breath in and exhale. If you are enjoying this podcast, please subscribe and tell a friend.
Closing: Closing jazzy keyboard and thrumming bass. I hope you enjoyed today's segment. Tell a friend. See you next time. Music fades.
