The Cure for Grumpiness

The Cure for Grumpiness

Do you ever feel grumpy?

Mona the monkey was feeling that way. She didn’t want to cuddle or let her mother pick itchy bugs out of her fur. She didn’t want to play catch-me -if you-can, or jump from tree to tree by the river. Mona was a miserable grump.

Sometimes, we get grumpy too and that’s okay. . . if it’s just for a little while. But if we hold onto our grumps they can make us cranky. Cranky leads to crabby, and no one likes to hang around with crabby crabs.

Mona’s best friend, Fern, knew the cure for grumpiness.

“What you need,” she told Mona, “Is a Whatever.”

“What’s a Whatever?” Mona asked with a grumpy frown.

“I bet if we look together, we can find one in no time,” said Fern.

With a loud sigh, grumbling, and mumbling under her breath, Mona followed Fern deep into the jungle.

“I’m getting tired of looking for a Whatever.” complained Mona. “I’m going home.”

“Wait!” Fern pointed to a ray of sunshine breaking through the jungle canopy. “There’s one now!”

“That? That’s just some old sunshine.”

“Oh, it’s much more than that. It’s a lovely, and lovely is one of the best Whatevers we can think about. See how it makes the pool of water sparkle?”

“I guess so,” Mona said, the grumpy frown on her face beginning to fade. “Look!” She pointed at two blue butterflies. They’re lovely too.”

“They sure are,” Fern said. Thinking about Whatever is lovely brings the light of God’s love into our hearts and makes us happy.”

“Are there other Whatevers?” Mona asked.

“Yes, there are,” said Fern.

  1. Whatever is noble. Thinking about sticking up for others being treated unfairly.
  2. Whatever is right. Thinking about being kind and people who have been kind to you.
  3. Whatever is pure. Thinking about not getting mixed up with kids doing bad things.
  4. Whatever is lovely. Thinking about the beauty of nature.
  5. Whatever is admirable. Thinking about people you look up to and why.

… and we can always think about how much Jesus loves us.”

Mona and Fern sat in the sun thinking how lovely the jungle was—and Mona didn’t feel grumpy anymore.

What lovely things can you think about today?


Penny L. HuntPenny L. Hunt is an Amazon bestselling, award-winning author, speaker, and blogger who enjoys writing for both children and adults. A grateful grandmother, she lives in the rural-peach-growing region of South Carolina with her husband Bill, a retired career naval officer, and their two dogs. Visit her at PennyLHunt.com and read more of her children’s stories at:
https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/product/B09JBLJRK7/episodeList

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