The little rap on fear.

In an arctic part of the village, where the frost was sure to cling Lived a scared little Penguin who feared almost everything. He feared dark clouds and lightning, wind and falling trees, He was very scared of heights and getting stung by bees.

One very frosty morning, as a storm was rolling through, Winds were howling loudly, and the skies darkened too. But the Scared Penguin's friends continued with their day, Too busy to notice the clouds were turning gray. Scared Penguin stopped them urgently, "Please hurry home!" he said, "I want you to be safe from the dangerous storm ahead!"

But Grouchy Snapper took no heed, he turned and swam away, Determined Bee called out, "Can't stop, there's too much on today!" Scared Penguin watched in horror, as the sea began to swell, The Nervous Sparrow joined him as some icy raindrops fell. The Anxious Beaver hurried in, with Worried Pig in tow, Together they grew bigger, and they screamed a mighty "WHOA!"

But following this mighty chorus came a fearsome roar! The Brave Lion joined his friends and pointed at the shore. Everybody stopped at once and finally saw the storm. Then Penguin yelled, "Take shelter!" They fled quickly in a swarm. The storm did, indeed, roll in, with icy wind and rain, Penguin thanked the Lion and all the other friends who came.

The Penguin felt much better when his friends could assist, His "what if" thoughts take over when there's no one to enlist. Standing in this dark, damp cave, with shadows all around, It's just the kind of place that his "what if" thoughts resound. You see, Penguin's biggest fear really came from the unknown. He was scared of what the dark might bring, especially when alone. At the end of every day as the sun would dim its light, This scared little Penguin really wanted to take flight! His senses would heighten, and his heart would race, His breathing would quicken, and he'd start to pace. His muscles would clench up, growing tight with fright, Whatever lurked in darkness, he'd be ready to fight!

But Lion urged his friend that he could "freeze" any story That lurked behind the fears and made panic mandatory. Penguin listened closely and thought for a while, Brave Lion was right! Penguin lit up with a smile. "If my fear is normal, I'll learn just what to do, Like facing those stories, and seeing what's true!" "There's magic," Lion said, "between feelings and action, And that's where you'll get the greatest satisfaction. The stories we tell ourselves are just like this storm, They whirl around our heads, and they often aren't warm. But they aren't always true!" Penguin said, relieved, "But how do I freeze them, to see what's ill conceived?" "You could take a deep breath, or count in your head, Or hum your favorite song instead?" Penguin looked at the storm, with his friends gathered near, He took a deep breath and saw through his fear. The shadows weren't monsters, they weren't even real, Just stories he told himself, shaping how he'd feel. Lion smiled and said, "Now here's what you can do: When fear starts to grow, fact check what's true. You can choose to move forward, or let it block your way, But remember, it's your choice at the end of the day."