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. Have you ever tried to set goals? How do you feel when you do not achieve them? Do you give up? We will delve into the idea of success and self-compassion in a tale I call, “Groundhog’s Day”. Also, thank you to my muse, the Pokémon in case some of the story items seem familiar. 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, a person was cursed or blessed by a groundhog, depending on your interpretation, to repeat the same day. The groundhog sent Guardians to guide the person on their journey. Day One. “All right! Time to set my daily intentions. My three things for today are shuweh shuweh shuweh shuweh, shoe way shoe way shoe way shoe way, and shuh wei shuh wei shuh wei shuh wei.” You aren’t hearing things, we are just protecting this person’s privacy. “Why do I even bother?” they sighed. “It’s the same three from yesterday. I’m not getting anything done.” Suddenly a fearsome white saber-toothed cat appeared. The creature had a strange accent because its teeth got in its way. You hreally hah soh amahing goes dere. (You really have some amazing goals there). The person was used to strange things happening and studied the Guardian. Though the teeth were impressive, they impeded its speech. The person thought, “Hmmm, perhaps my goals are too impressive and unwieldy.”
Day Two. “All right! Time to set my daily intentions. My three things for today are shuweh shuweh shuweh shuweh, shoe way shoe way shoe way shoe way, and shuh wei shuh wei shuh wei shuh wei. Why do I even bother?” they sighed. “It’s the same three from yesterday. I’m not getting anything done.” The hairs on the back of the person’s neck rose as the second Guardian appeared. This one was a boastful being that crackled with a strange energy. Its paws were open as if meditating, but because it pushed out its chest, it was as if it were saying, “Look at me; I’m meditating.” “If I think it, I can manifest it,” the strange creature said directly to the person’s mind. As the person reflected, they thought, “Hmmm, I’m going through the motions of the daily exercise activity because I am not putting in any effort in the ‘how to overcome obstacles’ section.”
Day Three. “All right! Time to set my daily intentions. My three things for today are shuweh shuweh shuweh shuweh, shoe way shoe way shoe way shoe way, and shuh wei shuh wei shuh wei shuh wei. Why do I even bother?” they sighed. “Well, I got one of them done yesterday, so that’s something. Doing things right after I finish writing down the goal seems to work.” An earthy smell permeated the air, and a half-eaten apple rolled by and vanished. A strange stone deer balancing an enormous bowl on its head appeared but had its back to the person. “I’m so tired of carrying this giant vessel on my head. When can I put it down?” it said to no one in particular. The person understood this beast instinctively. “Hmmm, I always put such ridiculous expectations on myself. Why do I pick up everyone’s opinions? It’s too heavy a load.”
Day Four. “All right! Time to set my daily intentions. My three things for today are shuweh shuweh shuweh shuweh, shoe way shoe way shoe way shoe way, and shuh wei shuh wei shuh wei shuh wei. Sigh, I finished the first one and started on the second one. Maybe today will be the day,” they hoped. The room suddenly got warm, and an armored crocodile appeared, breathing fire. “Get off the Hopium, baby! If you want to get things done, you have to do the things!” It shot a spark at the to-do list, which burned to a crisp. “Hmmmm” the person reflected. “Fire needs oxygen to be successful. I keep trying to burn the log but haven’t nurtured the kindling.” The person decided to change tactics. They wrote down everything they wanted to get done and decided to work on the spark.
Day Five. “All right! Time to set my daily intentions. Step one. Get out of bed. Why do I want to get out of bed? You wanted to do that thing. There are so many things. What do I want to do first?” While the person debated, a shrill sound shook them out of their woolgathering. “Caw! Caw!” An iron crow was perched on the bedpost. Its strange mechanical body made disturbing sounds as it flapped its wings. An unholy light penetrated the deepest hidey-hole of the person’s mind from its helmeted head. “Right, right,” the person said to themselves. “I can’t do everything, but I can take the next step.” They sat up, moved aside the covers, and took a deep breath. “Yay me! I’m up! Okay, coffee!” Somewhere a groundhog smiled or bared its teeth. However, you choose to interpret it. Wish our person well.
When you want to do all the things, sometimes you end up doing nothing.
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. "
