Jess and the Wobbly Feeling Tower

Jess loved visiting Grandpa’s workshop. It smelled like sawdust and sunshine, and colourful jars of nuts and bolts glittered like treasure. Today, Jess was on a mission: to build the tallest, most magnificent block tower the world had ever seen. Carefully, Jess stacked red squares, blue triangles, and long yellow rectangles, imagining a castle that could touch the clouds.

The tower grew taller and taller, almost tickling the workbench light. Jess reached for the final, sparkling star-shaped block. But as it touched the top, the whole structure began to sway. Wibble-wobble… CRASH! The blocks clattered to the floor. A hot, prickly feeling bubbled up in Jess’s tummy. It was frustration, and it felt very big.

With a huff, Jess snatched the blocks and started again, trying to build even faster. "I'll make it super-duper strong this time!" Jess thought. But the big, prickly feeling made Jess's hands feel clumsy and shaky. The new tower went up quickly, but it was sloppy. Wibble-wobble… CRASH! It tumbled down again. The frustration grew into a sad, heavy lump.

Grandpa poked his head in. "Looks like you're building a wobbly feeling tower," he said with a kind smile. "Big feelings need a strong base. Let's try one together." He showed Jess how to take a slow, deep breath that filled their whole belly and then let it out like a soft breeze. Jess took a deep breath, and the shaky feeling started to calm down. Together, they imagined a new tower, starting with a wide, sturdy foundation. One block at a time, slow and steady, their tower rose higher and stronger than ever before.

The sparkling star-shaped block clicked perfectly into place on top. The tower stood tall, proud, and perfectly still. Jess looked at their creation and the big, prickly feeling was gone, replaced by a warm, happy glow. Building a block tower was fun, but learning how to build a calm feeling inside was the most magnificent creation of all.