A Dinasaur Rex

All rights reserved; this copy is given to you. For information on copies please contact:
Growing Together Counseling and Education
801 224 3001 http://www.GrowingTogetherCounseling.com

Presents Another
ACS DinoTales Children's Book

A Dinosaur Rex

Created by
LoLyn Jacobs
and ACS


(Younger Student Version)



Published by ACSPress, Box 2241, Mesa AZ.
Copyright 1995 ACSPress/AzCreativeStrategies


ACS DinoTales Children's Book
"A Dinosaur Rex" Created by LoLyn Jacobs and ACS

Reprinted by Growing Together Counseling and Education. Web site below.
Text, layout, formatting, and design copyright 1995 by AzCreativeStrategies (ACS). All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means electrical or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the authors and publisher.

Credits: Written by LoLyn Jacobs and the writers of ACS. Layout, typesetting, editing and design by AzCreativeStrategies with assistance from Rick Scott at Natural Images, Chandler AZ. AzCreativeStrategies and ACSPress are dba's of RBR, Mesa, Arizona. "ACS DinoTales" and "DinoTales" are protected property of ACSPress and ACS.


Inspired by the brilliant work of Dr. Milton Erickson and all those following his path to the outer realms of storytelling.


We consider this book as a work in progress. You, the reader, can contribute valuable suggestions and ideas which may be incorporated in later versions of this book (with your permission, of course).

Teachers and parents. You may note that a booklet containing many discussion questions, activities, and background information on this book is now available. The booklet will also address some of the more unusual aspects of the book and give a background into its creation. Along with this, a description of other books in the series 'ACS DinoTales Children's Books' and other fine publications from ACSPress will be included.

You can contact AzCreativeStrategies, ACSPress, or LoLyn Jacobs with your comments, suggestions, ideas and your order inquiries at:

AzCreativeStrategies/ACSPress
c/o GrowingTogetherCounseling@comcast.net
http://www.GrowingTogetherCounseling.com


Dedicated to the school children who helped
contribute story ideas, and especially to my beautiful grandson Dyllan who
IS REX in these photos at age 6.




To Our Reader: You are starting on a special kind of journey in reading - a journey to help you learn many things about yourself and others.

There is no need to focus carefully on the story in order to learn from it. Just allow yourself to be open. It can help you to get in a quiet place where you can really think about it.

This book may look a bit different than most books you read. Even the words and sentences might surprise and interest you.
All of this is done to help you make discoveries. It is fine to be curious about how much you can learn from this story.

At times, you may feel yourself becoming very comfortable and relaxed when hearing or reading a story that really holds your attention. You might even begin feeling a little bit tired or sleepy. If you find this happening, just remember when you are ready to return, just take a few deep breaths, and say the words 'be active' to yourself or out loud.



We hope you will enjoy this story.
-- Welcome to the Journey –





It might have been one of those clear warm wonderful days we

remember. . .

One of those
bright blue autumn sky days
when the sun glistens off the sandy soil.

And there's a
shimmering look to everything.
Many of us
have fond memories
of that kind of day
and the way we were feeling.

Well. . .

This certain time was long ago - a distant time way before now.
And during this time, the landscape
looked very different.

There were forests and meadows everywhere and many lakes
and smaller waters. Life was teeming all around.
This is long before much of the southwest became desert.

There were so many different types of animals here and there then.
Big noisy ones - small slender ones -
Green scaly ones - yellow smooth ones.

And all had a role to play -
All were important in their own way.
Doing the best they could with what they had.

And as we
view this distant time
from our place in the now,

We might
imagine a morning of
wonderful freshness and greenness.

A place gently buzzing with a
pleasant blue-green peaceful feeling.

And when we
experience such a place, we can
find ourselves
opening up to new ways of
thinking and feeling.

It could make a person
feel good
just thinking of all that.





Now . . .

There was this particular dinosaur. Or should I say,
a pre-dinosaur for he had yet to come from
that safety of the egg.

And he had to find his own way as his mother had left that egg in the care of the forest.

But there was no one around to teach this little one how to
survive in a sometimes hard world. It could be a
challenge for the young dinosaur to
grow up strong and healthy.

And just imagine, if you will, what it might
feel like in that egg
resting on the warm sand.

So very warm and comfortable,
safe from it all.




And perhaps, the pre-dinosaur
beginning to stretch and wiggle
inside the eggy home --
rocking back and forth
in warmth of the day --

As he can
enjoy the feeling --

He might find himself
getting ready for new experiences --

Feeling really good about himself
and his new day, he was
readying for the journey of discovery.


Now...

The other animals watch the young dinosaur
beginning to come out of that shell
struggling to be free.

Beginning to
come from that shell,
just feeling really happy
growing free to be

-- wondering --
about those new sight-sounds
discovered on the journey...

Becoming ready,
he made those stretching motions in the legs,
raising and lowering the head and
beginning to make that first try at walking.

Watching carefully the results -
matching the feeling with
the sight with the sound -
developing an understanding of how it is
coming all together.


Feeling good
just to move, just to be,
experimenting with new ways -

now even then all sorts of discoveries can be made.

So our little friend, who we shall call Rex, began to walk -
a little wobbly at first, he found that it became easier and
easier the more he practiced.

Rex naturally began to enjoy his new freedoms and abilities to go where he wished. It was a pleasant feeling - to develop new skills.

Rex began to walk through the forest not knowing quite what to expect. Just what could he find there?


Fortunately, Rex came upon a pond.
It smelled so clean and fresh -
looking straight through it -
looking deeply into soothing blueness -
rippling green soft and clear -
plants glowing all around.

Softly stirring waters
sound nearby
red rushes rubbing against the rocks -
swirling whirling sounds -
noticing comfortable feelings -
readying for the challenges of a new day.

As he looked at the water
seeing the reflected sky,
hearing the sounds of the forest -
those buzzing, chirping, singing sounds
sometimes sounding soothing
from behind and in front - sometimes all around.

Moving along with
rhythms of the forest -
not something to be heard exactly but
beginning to feel.

And he could
feel good,
so easy about himself and
feeling comfortable
with the world about him.

While he stared into the waters -
just drinking in the blurs of the reflected sky,
getting ready to
learn something. . .

He couldn't help but
feel a bit light-headed
at the overpowering
beauty of it all --

But what was that funny shape, there in the water? It moved when he moved - there seemed to be some link between himself and
the image there shimmering before him.

There was someone in the water!
"Could that somehow be me?"
He stepped away and saw
the reflection move away also.

Studying the image in the mirror of the pond,
he now stood so very
still focusing on
fascinating feelings.


A creature with green scaly skin and a long neck and tail
looked back at him - curiously - posing his head in
different ways to get the full effect.

He liked what he saw. "What am I learning about myself from the mirror of the waters? And where in this world do I fit in? What is my role? - just how can I become my best?"

Then he drank again - just to satisfy himself - taking in just as much as he needed to. And as he tasted the cool water,
he viewed his entire body becoming more relaxed and comfortable.

Rex decided to venture out to explore even deeper in the forest -
further and further down into the experience and maybe he could find some other friendly animals to play with.

He wanted to be part of a group that accepted him -
to be liked, to be seen as important -
finding that sharing with others can be rewarding.

He walked and as he walked his tail flipped and flopped behind him. He didn't notice it - and so far it did no harm.

But as the time passed, he discovered that the tail had grown. But why should this worry him? It was an exciting trip to discover the joys of the deeper part of the forest.


As Rex walked, his tail, which had grown to be very large indeed, began to knock down trees and bushes and caused quite a ruckus in the forest. It even trashed nests with eggs in them left by other dinosaurs - just like the egg he had come from.

And Rex didn't
notice what was happening
around him as he walked.

He just looked ahead and did as he pleased - did not
notice the damage he did -
the problems he caused for others.

He wasn't bad or selfish or any of that -
only young and not yet aware. Sometimes we just don't
notice how we affect others.

Rex continued to move through the forest. By this time,
he was feeling really sad and lonesome - he just wanted to
meet someone - to be a friend to someone. But he didn't
know how to make friends.

- He had that certain problem which got in the way. -

Meanwhile, many of the other animals were trying to
avoid Rex. They ran and hid when they heard his footsteps on the jungle floor.

The bigger animals laughed at him and called him names. Some yelled mean things about how he looked - and that green color of his. A particularly big one even knocked Rex around.

Some of the animals decided on a new name for him. Some of them called him Mr. Flippety Flop. Well! He didn't like this one bit. Rex already had a name which suited him just fine and he didn't need another. He felt unhappy and very angry.

One day, Rex became so angry with all of this that he ran
raging through the forest growling and snarling as loud and as far as he could.

Rex knocked many things about - bushes broken, ferns fouled, small trees teeming with life trashed. And the animals and dinosaurs of the forest were in an uproar. Rex wrecked more than just part of the forest.

He kept on running until he could not run any more, then fell down on the hard ground, his breath coming in pounding powerful pants, his throat raw from breathing and screaming - his body feeling exhausted.

Yet somehow there was
less anger now
after that happened.

He lay on the ground and began to cry and cried out loud for all to hear. "I guess I am not as fine a dinosaur as I thought when I first saw that reflection in the water. No one will talk to me or play with me. The bigger animals call me names and sometimes even hurt me. I'm angry and very unhappy."

He felt very alone and wanted someone to talk to - just the
comfort of a friend --

Someone to understand him and to
help make that better.


And as he cried, he heard a voice.

"You will have a friend when you know how to be one."

The young dinosaur was surprised and curious. He wondered where that voice came from and
just what did those words mean?

It was an odd voice, like
a song heard
drifting down
from the hillside
way way far away
yet
curiously
close at hand.

What was that feeling he was having? It felt like there was something on his back! And so there was.

The voice came from Archie, a bird which had landed there. And he continued to hear that voice.

"Those feelings can be shown in a different way -
a safer gentler better way."

Rex paused to deeply think through this.
"Just what can I learn from this bird," he wondered.
"Tell me, why do the animals call me names?
Why do they turn away and won't let me play their games?"

Archie was surprised. "Don't you see how you affect others?
They fear your actions. Your tail hurts them.
Can you change how you get along with them?"

The bird pointed back to the forest. "It doesn't matter to the others if you don't want to hurt anything or anybody. The others just see the damage. Look at that mess you make with that big tail. And running through the forest - what did it get you?"

"Loneliness", the dinosaur sobbed. As he spoke, he saw the scene of destruction behind him. Rex looked around, he didn't see how it all fit together - yet. He still needed to become more aware.

Suddenly, as he was turned around to speak to the bird, he stopped to
L o o k d e e pl y into the forest behind him. "Who did all that to my home, the forest?", he said angrily. You are right - it is a mess! I feel angry at whoever did this."

But then he began to have an understanding.
"Oh, no. Wait a minute!"

For the first time Rex really began looking carefully at what he was doing. He saw the damage - the trees broken and crushed, the bushes torn apart, the nests pushed around.

And he began to understand what was at the root of his problem. He suddenly looked ashamed, confused and embarrassed.

He was becoming more open to change -
to really l e ar n something
d e e p l y.

"But, I didn't mean to hurt anything. The forest is
my home. I didn't want to hurt my home. I just wanted to
c o o l d o w n t hat anger.

"I'm really a good dinosaur, if only I can l e a r n a n e w w a y of being me."

The bird chirped in. "We share this place together. We all call it home and should work together to take care of each other and ourselves."

Rex had thought that it was hard to
c h a n g e t h e w a y w e t h i n k
and to
c h a n g e t h e w a y w e act.

He realized that the bird had
something he would l e a r n from.

"You're right," Archie continued. "You just need to
l e a r n a d I f f e r e n t way of b e in g who you are -
a way that can help you f e e l m o r e v a l u a b l e."

"I don't know, but I think that
you can find it for yourself -
a n e w w a y of d o I n g things and thinking."

Rex was beginning to feel a bit confused by now. But he thought that there was something in this for him. Having a curious mind, he asked for more.

"But how can I take control of my tail? It doesn't seem to belong to me sometimes. It's like it thinks for itself and just does what it wants. I don't know how I can make it do anything else. Tell me how to change it."


Archie moved closer. "I won't tell you, but I will teach you. See my wings. In order to move forward and fly, I must c o n t r o l my muscles in certain ways. If I just move them all around this way or that, I don't get anyplace. See.

"But when I even out my wings, when I shape them in this certain way, well, I c an d o w o n d e r f u l things." And with that, he moved his wings that certain way and began to move gracefully through the air.

"You have to have great control over muscles and movements and actions in order to soar in the air and to arrive at your goal."

And how did Rex learn from this teaching from a fellow creature of the forest? As Rex watched Archie showing that wing control, he took a small step forward.

His tail flipped. He took another step and his tail flopped. He studied how it moved and began to understand which muscles he was using to move it.

Trying this position and that -
moving this muscle to see the results
and now that muscle.

Testing new abilities – he began to b ec o m e m o r e a w a r e.

And as he was finding that correct balance, he began to l e a r n what he needed to do.

"And r e m e m b e r," Archie said as he flew gracefully past. "As you may hear us making those pleasant sounds in the future, you may r e m e m b e r my advice. Let my voice travel with you and see what happens that is good."

Rex watched the bird peacefully glide through and air looking so comfortable and free. Our wise bird took a course for the deeper part of the forest and rose higher and higher until he was out of sight.

"Perhaps I will meet with such a teacher again in my future.
I think that many
others can teach me things
I need to discover."

He continued his practice to
L e a r n those new skills.
And as he
focused
on the muscles he needed to use,
he began to
u n d e r s t a n d
that he could
m a k e c h o i c e s
about when to move
that certain muscle and
m a k e c h o i c e s
about not moving that other muscle
and in what order and at what time.


He began to d e v e l o p a new way of moving and acting and thinking.

It took a lot of practice and a lot of work.
It didn't just happen right away. Rex had to
S t o p and t h i n k
about each step – taking
c a r e f u l c o n s i d e r a t i o n about what he was doing.
And as he began to
C o n t r o l his muscles
to a c t the way he really wanted
to a c t, he began to
f e e l b e t t e r and b e t t e r about himself.


And Rex learned to
develop control
over other things about himself as well.
And he learned many great things about himself, then.


Rex returned to the pond where long ago he had first seen his own image. How he had grown in so many ways! He practiced his new skills near the pond. Then he extended his mighty tail over the water - to learn to straighten it out. He found that it was getting easier and easier to control his tail.

And as he watched himself, he began to watch his own face take on that look of confidence and strength. And with each new effort at controlling that part of him, he could see that feeling of pride and confidence grow.


And he exclaimed,
"I'm feeling better and better about myself.
I don't have to hurt anything or anyone because
I am feeling good about me!"

Once again he began to feel valuable and proud when he looked at himself in the water. He was even proud to be green - his special shade of green.

It was the color of the leaves which
moved so gently
by the summer's wind -
the color of the grass
rising up towards the sun -
the color of the ferns
finding a peaceful way to be.

And Rex only heard that nickname - Mr. Flippety Flop - in the game he played with the other animals. And they all came up with nicknames for each other, and many were funny. It is good to have fun with friends and to get along with others.

They were able to get up and be active - doing many things together - waking up to a whole new world of discovery . You many meet Archie again in another book by LoLyn when he learns to fly carefully and make friends better by his new learnings.

Now . . .

The dinosaurs are long gone. You can get up to the Petrified Forest in Northern Arizona or at Thanksgiving point, or at many places, if you have a way or visit one of them in a museum. Reaching out and getting more active can help you become more aware.

Discovering more can help you feel better about many things
as you get active and awaken to new learnings, becoming curious about everything the dinosaurs could teach you and me.





All rights reserved; this copy is given to you. For information on copies please contact:
Growing Together Counseling and Education
801 224 3001 http://www.GrowingTogetherCounseling.com



© 1995 see front pages of Dinasaour REX