The Blue Fox

The Fox was feeling a little blue the last few weeks. She didn’t want to do much other than lie around and watch the world go by. She didn’t want to be cheered up, she wanted to feel happy but didn’t want to be made to feel happy, if that makes sense, she just wanted everyone to leave her alone and let her be blue.

Her friends would want to come and cheer her up. Because they missed when the Fox was feeling cheerful and upbeat. They all liked hanging out with her and enjoyed her company so when she wasn’t there it was a very felt absence.

One by one each of the Fox’s friends made their way to her home to talk to her and try to figure out how to get her to stop feeling so blue.

The Raccoon tried to tell the Fox some jokes.

The Cardinal tried to cook the Fox her favorite food.

The Bear read the Fox her favorite story.

The Opposum wandered in and chatted with the Fox for a long time having no idea that the Fox was blue at all, but that was the Opposum for you, very “out there.”

None of these things worked to make the Fox feel less blue. Now the Fox felt bad that all her friends were trying so hard to cheer her up and she just wasn’t able to feel better. She started to think maybe something was wrong with her, and she would never be happy again.

Things were really looking bad for the Fox. She continued to feel blue for a long time. Several days passed, then several weeks passed, then several months passed. Nothing was cheering the Fox up. Nothing was making her feel happy again.

But she knew that she wanted to be happy, that nothing ever lasts forever. Feeling bad doesn’t last forever, and feeling good doesn’t last forever. So the Fox did what she could. When she found little moments where she could feel happy she appreciated those. When she found little moments where she could feel joy she appreciated those. When she found little moments where she could feel hope she appreciated those. Even when she felt blue right after she could remember what it felt like to be her cheerful self again.

So she kept hanging on to each little joy she could find. Then eventually all those little joys she appreciated started adding up. There was less and less time between feeling one joy and then feeling another joy. Then one day the space between joy became so small she mostly felt joy during the day interrupted but little bouts of feeling blue. She started hanging out with her friends again. She started cooking, enjoying reading her favorite stories, playing, going out, hanging with friends. All of her friends noticed a change in the Fox, except for the Opposum, of course.

The Fox wouldn’t go on to say that she never felt blue, but she certainly felt less blue and was open to appreciating more joy, and that felt good. That’s all she could really ask for.