The Missing Goggles: a short story and meditation for kids

Kumar Chand woke up excited for the second day of swim camp, but when he packed his bag, his goggles were missing. He searched his room frantically, growing more worried as he looked in impossible places like his pajama drawer. With help from his family, he learned to retrace his steps and eventually found the goggles tangled in a towel inside the dryer.

This episode of Be Calm on Ahway Island uses a gentle, story-based meditation to teach children a practical problem-solving skill: retracing your steps. The central idea is that when you lose something, you don't have to panic. Instead, you can calmly walk backward through your memory, from the last place you had the item, and this method works even when you aren't sure where to start.

The story opens with a guided relaxation exercise. Listeners are asked to dim the lights, get comfortable with a blanket or stuffed animal, and take slow "dragon breaths"—breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth as if blowing fire. They are then invited to imagine sitting on a warm, safe beach, feeling sand between their toes and fingers. This sets a calm, focused state of mind before the narrative begins.