Ryers Readers - Have you Filled a Bucket Today?

Episode Date: August 7, 2024

**Thank you for your understanding while I am away! Here is an exclusive Patreon episode from the Ryers Readers Patreon! I hope to be back to our regular scheduled programming in September!**

Let's do this! A big hug and a high five to all the Ryers rock stars and red carpet celebrities! Before we get into the story, do you want to know a fun fact? Did you know that it is a proven scientific fact that being nice is healthy? Acts of kindness releases something called endorphins, which is the brain's natural painkiller. People who are always nice have 23% less of the stress hormone cortisol and age two times slower. That was all a pretty fancy way of saying that being a nice and kind person is a great way to live a long, happy, and healthy life. Pretty cool, huh?

Okay, story time. Today, we have a super special Ryer's Reader's request from a red carpet celebrity. Four-year-old Charlie would like to hear, have you filled a bucket today by Carol McLeod? I hope you enjoy this story, Charlie. Let's do this. All day long, everyone in the whole wide world walks around carrying an invisible bucket. You can't see it, but it's there. You have a bucket. Each member of your family has a bucket. Your grandparents, friends, and neighbors all have buckets. Everyone carries an invisible bucket. Your bucket has one purpose only. Its purpose is to hold your good thoughts and good feelings about yourself. You feel happy and good when your bucket is full. And you feel sad and love. lonely when your bucket is empty.

Other people feel the same way too. They're happy when their buckets are full and they're sad when their buckets are empty. It's great to have a full bucket and this is how it works. Other people can fill your bucket and you can fill theirs. You can fill your own bucket too. So how do you fill a bucket? You fill a bucket when you show love to someone, when you say or do something kind, or even when you give someone a smile. That's being a bucket filler.

A bucket filler is a loving, caring person who says and does nice things to make others feel special. When you treat others with kindness and respect, you fill their bucket. But you can also dip into a bucket and take out some good feelings. You dip into a bucket when you make fun of someone, when you say or do mean things, or even when you ignore someone. That's bucket dipping. Bullying is bucket dipping.

When you hurt others, you dip into their bucket. You will dip into your own bucket. too. Many people who dip have an empty bucket. They may think they can fill their own bucket by dipping into someone else's, but that will never work. You never fill up your own bucket when you dip into someone else's. But guess what? When you fill someone else's bucket, you fill your own bucket too! You feel good when you help others feel good. All day long, we are either filling up or dipping into each other's buckets by what we say and what we do. Try to fill a bucket and see what happens.

You love your mom and dad. Why not tell them you love them? You can even tell them why. Your caring words will fill their buckets with joy. Watch for smiles to lighten. up their faces, you will feel like smiling too. A smile is a good clue that you have filled a bucket. If you practice, you'll become a great bucket filler. Just remember that everyone carries an invisible bucket. And think of what you can say or do to fill it. Here are some ideas for you.

You could smile and say hi to the bus driver. He has a bucket too. You can invite the new kid at school to play with you. You could write a thank you note to your teacher. You could tell your grandpa that you love spending time with him. There are many ways to fill a bucket. Kid filling is fun and easy to do. It doesn't matter how young or old you are. It doesn't cost money.

It doesn't take much time. And remember, And remember, when you fill someone else's bucket, you fill your own bucket too! When you're a bucket filler, you make your home, your school, and your neighborhood better places for all. Bucket filling makes everyone feel good. So why not decide to be a bucket filler today and every day? Just start each day by saying to yourself, I'm going to do you.

something to fill someone's bucket today. And at the end of each day, ask yourself, did I fill a bucket today? Yes, I did. That's the life of a bucket filler. And that's you. The end. Don't forget to stick around to see if you can answer today's paying attention question. Before you go, do you think you can answer today's paying attention question? Has an invisible bucket. If your answer was, everyone, you did it! Great job! You sure were paying attention. I hope you enjoyed that story. I wonder what we're going to read next. Bye, Charlie!