in a cozy little garden patch, there lived a small, cheerful worm named Wiggly. Wiggly loved his garden home. It was filled with soft soil, and there were always plenty of leaves to munch on. But more than anything in the world, Wiggly loved adventures. He would often wiggle his way through the garden, exploring new places and meeting new faces.

One sunny morning, while Wiggly was exploring near the garden shed, he stumbled upon something very shiny. It was lying half-buried under a pile of leaves. Curious, Wiggly pushed the leaves aside with his tiny head. It was a spoon! But to Wiggly, it wasn’t just any spoon. It was the most beautiful spoon he had ever seen. It was shiny and smooth, with a long handle that gleamed in the sunlight.

“Oh, hello there! You’re the most wonderful thing I’ve ever seen!” Wiggly exclaimed, his little eyes wide with wonder.

The spoon, of course, did not reply. It was just a spoon, after all. But Wiggly didn’t mind. He decided then and there that he was in love with the beautiful shiny spoon.

Every day, Wiggly would visit the spoon. He told the spoon stories about his adventures in the garden, about the juicy leaves he’d eaten, and about the rain that sometimes tickled his back. Wiggly thought the spoon was listening. He imagined that the spoon was just shy and that’s why it never talked back.

As days turned into weeks, Wiggly’s friends in the garden began to notice his daily visits to the spoon. 

“Wiggly, why do you spend so much time with that spoon?” asked Betty the butterfly, fluttering her colorful wings.

“It’s my friend!” Wiggly replied happily. “It’s the most beautiful spoon in the whole wide world!”

Betty smiled gently. “It sure is shiny, Wiggly, but it’s just a spoon. It can’t talk or play like we do.”

But Wiggly didn’t care. He was happy just to be near the spoon.

One day, a strong wind blew through the garden. It was stronger than any wind Wiggly had ever felt. It shook the trees and rustled all the leaves. Wiggly was visiting the spoon, telling it about a particularly tasty leaf he had found, when the wind caught the spoon and flung it into the air.

“Oh no!” cried Wiggly. He watched in horror as the spoon flew and then landed with a loud “CLANG!” far across the garden.

Wiggly wiggled as fast as he could toward where the spoon had landed. When he finally reached it, his little heart sank. The spoon had landed on a rock and now it was bent and broken.

“Oh, my beautiful spoon,” Wiggly cried softly. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

Wiggly felt a wave of sadness wash over him. But as he lay there, feeling sorry for himself and the spoon, he heard voices.

“Wiggly, are you alright?” It was Betty the butterfly, and with her were Sammy the snail and Gary the grasshopper.

“We saw what happened,” said Sammy. “We came as fast as we could!”

“We’re here for you, Wiggly,” added Gary, patting Wiggly gently with his tiny grasshopper foot.

Wiggly looked at his friends, and a warm feeling spread through him. He realized that even though he had lost the spoon, he had his friends. And they were here with him, ready to help and support him.

“You know, the spoon was beautiful,” Wiggly said, “but it was just a thing. I have something much better. I have wonderful friends like you.”

Wiggly’s friends cheered him up. They spent the whole day together, playing and laughing. Wiggly realized that while he could find many shiny spoons, the friendship he had was unique and irreplaceable.

From that day on, Wiggly still went on adventures and sometimes he would find shiny things. But he never forgot the lesson he learned: that the joy of true friendship was more valuable than any shiny spoon.

And so, Wiggly the worm lived happily ever after, surrounded by his friends, in the cozy little garden patch.

Time for Self Reflection…

Self Reflection Questions and Group Discussion:

1. What are the “shiny spoons” in my life, the things I am drawn to for their external appeal?
2. Do I sometimes prioritize material possessions or appearances over genuine connections with others?
3. How often do I express gratitude for the friendships I have?
4. Do I actively nurture and invest in my friendships, or do I take them for granted?
5. How do I respond when faced with loss or disappointment? Do I isolate myself, or do I seek support from my friends?
6. What qualities do I value most in my friendships?
7. Am I open to the different perspectives and opinions of my friends, even if they differ from my own?
8. In what ways do my friends enrich my life and contribute to my happiness?
9. Do I sometimes project my own feelings and thoughts onto others, as Wiggly did with the spoon?
10. How can I learn to see the true value in the people around me, beyond their external appearances or possessions?
11. What steps can I take to deepen my connections with my friends?
12. How can I be a better friend to others?
13. Do I recognize and appreciate the unique qualities that each of my friends possesses?
14. How can I learn to let go of material attachments and focus on what truly matters in life?
15. What are the ways in which my friends have helped me through difficult times?
16. How can I cultivate a more positive and supportive mindset towards my friends?
17. In what ways can I show my friends how much I value their presence in my life?
18. Do I allow myself to be vulnerable and open with my friends, sharing my feelings and experiences honestly?
19. How can I create more meaningful and memorable experiences with my friends?
20. What steps can I take to build stronger and more lasting friendships?