Once upon a time, there was a land called Litluns. There, they loved babes. When a Mama heard the call of her babe from the Island across the sea, she would brave the Bridge of Babes to go bring it home.
The Bridge was long and made of a very flexible material so it wouldn't break during the journey. But when the wind blew, the bridge would shake and bend, sometimes making it very hard to cross. Some Mamas just couldn’t make it across to meet their babes. At a time of famine, when many Mamas were weak, a great many Mamas never made it to take their babes home.
And sometimes, a Babe across the sea would leave the Island before the Mama arrived. It would climb into a boat and sail off, waving goodbye to the sad Mama who now wouldn’t have a babe to bring home. Sometimes a Mama could run the last yards and grab the babe before it left the Island, or sometimes someone on the Island could grab the Mama and bring her in time. But every time a babe sailed off, it was sad for everyone.
The powerful men of Litluns heard of the sadness. They wanted to fix everything. They stationed themselves along the Bridge and carefully scrutinized what went on. The Mamas trying to cross were embarrassed, and had a harder time with the undulating Bridge. More of them only made it in time to see their babes waving goodbye as they sailed off in search of adventure.
So the powerful men of Litluns came up with a brilliant plan. They attached pins to the inside of the shoes of Mamas who heard the call of their babes. They called them Pinocins. The Pinocins made many Mamas run very fast, but sometimes they would run so fast they would fall and not be able to make it across the Bridge. And some babes were scared when they heard the running feet, and tried to sail away quickly, waving goodbye.
The powerful men of Litluns had another solution. They hired special helicopters with claws on ropes to lift the Mamas who fell, and bring them across to the Island. The claws were very painful, and left scars in the heads of the women who were airlifted. Sometimes the claws didn’t attach correctly, and the Mamas would fall into the shark-infested waters of the sea. And some babes were so scared of the helicopters that they sailed out more quickly, waving goodbye.
But the powerful men of Litluns were proud. They felt that they had saved all those Mamas who they were sure couldn’t cross on their own. Now they could arrange that Mamas only cross on schedule, so the scrutinizers could take their vacations.
In fact, they encouraged ALL Mamas to get the claw transport (the C) across the Bridge, even those strong enough to cross on their own. Any Mamas who tried on their own, they gave Pinocin to. Lots of the Mamas with Pinocin needed - or even wanted - the C transport.
Soon they had arranged for more than a third of all Mamas to cross only with Cs! They were able to charge Mamas a lot of money for the Cs, and the powerful men of Lituns were very happy.
But many Mamas knew that this couldn’t be right. They knew that it was safer for Mamas to walk, or crawl, or dance across the Bridge. They knew that Mamas were made to cross the Bridge, and that some babes would sail off no matter what they did.
So the wise women of Litluns taught brave women to be Midcrossers. They kicked out the scrutinizers so the Mamas wouldn't be embarrassed to roll, or crawl, or dance across if they needed to. They would reassure the Mama that the undulations of the Bridge were normal, and that she was almost there. They would give the Mama water and chocolate so she would have energy for the journey. The Midcrossers would massage the Mama’s legs when she was sore from trying to reach the Island, and hold her hand if she needed it.
Still, some Mamas couldn’t make it, but with the help of the Midcrossers, many more succeeded and brought their babes home. Some Mamas still needed the Pinocin, and some still needed the C transport. And some babes still sailed off before their Mamas came, as babes will do. But most Mamas made it on their own steam to get their babes and bring them home.
And most of the Mamas, on their celebration walk back home with their babes, described that difficult trip across the Bridge as their most life-changing journey.
Why don’t you try it?
