Ryers Readers - The Couch Potato

Episode Date: May 25, 2022

Follow along as this laid back couch potato gets up, gets out, and gets moving!

Let's do this. Thank you so much for tuning into today's story. Don't forget to tell your grown-up to go check out the Ryer's Reader's Instagram for more fun content. Before we get into the story, do you want to know a fun fact? Did you know that playing outside is not only fun, but it is super healthy for you. When you play outside, you build strong muscles, strong lungs and even strengthen your heart. Being outside can even help you grow a stronger imagination.

Pretty cool, huh? Okay, story time. Today, we are going to read The Couch Potato by Jory John and Pete Oswald. I am a potato. Not a small potato like my brother. Not a sweet potato like my mother and not a mashed potato like my uncle stew. I am a couch potato. Oh yeah, it's true. My favorite place to slouch is on the couch. I spend all my free time sitting in this exact spot. Ah, why would I ever leave this comfy, cozy couch? It's got everything a potato could

need. See? I have this and this and this and one of those and those and this and this and that and these and this. Oh, and this! Check it out. This button activates a gadget that fetches me snacks whenever I want. Bam! Impressed? And I don't even have to move an inch, much easier than going to the kitchen. If the most important thing in the life is to be comfortable at all times, then I think I've got it all figured out. But wait, there's more. I haven't revealed the absolute best part about my whole setup. It's everything you see in front of me. Have a look around. Take it all in. Pretty spectacular, right? Yes, It's a sea of shimmering screens from wall to shining wall.

What joy! What bliss! These screens feature my favorite shows. This screen has all my unanswered messages. These screens are where I play video games. And this screen is a live stream of my friend, my best spud for life. This is how my pals and I spent quite. quality time together. It's much easier than trying to meet up somewhere, like folks did in the old days. That's for sure. Yes, from this very couch, I can control everything in my life all the time with just a few taps and a couple of clicks.

Not bad, huh? Yes, sir, re, this is the life. At least, that's what I thought. Until the other day, Something strange happened. There was a knock at the door. It was a delivery. It was my newest device, a video camera that would allow me to watch myself react while I was watching all my favorite shows. Woohoo! All I had to do was plug it in, and my room, nay, my kingdom would be complete. But suddenly, it went dark. Wump! I made it to the window. I pulled back the curtains. The sun seemed brighter than I remembered. There was nothing better to do, so I decided to take my dog, Tater, for a walk. Outside. It had been a while. Everything was so vivid, like a high-resolution, 156-inch curved screen. But even more, more realistic. Something smelled fresh. After a few moments, I realized that it was the air.

I heard a noise, some chirps, a ringtone perhaps. But no, I looked up to see some birds. I wandered down the street from block to block and across the neighborhood. Eventually, I found a park with a hill. with a hill. There was a massive tree on top. It looked just like a desktop background, only it was real. I leaned against the tree. It wasn't as comfortable as my couch. Not even close, but after a while, it wasn't so bad. Any worries about the power outage and what I might be missing drifted away. I wasn't thinking about my favorite shows or my unanswered messages or anything else, really.

I noticed the stillness, the view, the sky, the clouds, the sunset, and those colors, my goodness. It took a while because there was no fast-forward option, but eventually the sun sank below the horizon. By the time I got home, the power was back on. I sat on the couch. I hit the button to brush my teeth. I pulled the lever to change into my pajamas. I turned the knob to watch a bedtime story. Then I noticed my reflection in one of the screens.

I wondered how much of my life I had been spending in that very spot. It was then and there that I made the decision to peel myself off the couch a little more often. Maybe every day even. And so that's what I've done. I've started hanging out with my friends, my best buddies outside. We started biking and hiking and swimming and hiding and seeking. Sometimes we have snacks and play board games.

Sometimes we talk all day. We might watch the clouds. There's really no big plan. We just see what happens. It makes me wonder, what if I don't always need to be totally comfortable? What if I'm happier when I have a better balance between my gadgets and the world outside? Because it turns out that I'm more than just a couch potato. I'm an amusing potato. I'm a smart potato. I'm a kind potato. I'm an entertaining potato. And I'm a sit on a hill and watch the sunset potato. Yes, there is a great big world out there and I want to be part of it in person. But don't get me wrong. At the end of a long day, after I've run and played and talked and laughed with my friends, I still think it's awfully nice to slouch on the couch. The end. Make sure you 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? What was the very first thing the couch potato did on his first trip outside? If your answer was, he took his dog for a walk, 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!