Maya's Worry Box

Maya was a thoughtful girl who loved to learn new things. But sometimes, her mind filled with worries. "What if I make a mistake?" "What if my friends don't like me?" The worries felt like heavy stones in her backpack. One day, Maya's grandmother noticed her frowning. "What's troubling you, my dear?" she asked. Maya explained all her worries. Grandmother smiled and brought out a small wooden box. "This is a worry box," she said. "When a worry feels too big, write it down and put it in the box." Maya was curious. "Will that make the worries go away?" "Not exactly," Grandmother explained. "But it will help you see them more clearly. Some worries are real and need attention. Others are just 'what-ifs' that may never happen." Maya tried it. She wrote down her worries and placed them in the box. Then, with her grandmother, she looked at each one. "This worry about the math test is real," Grandmother said. "Let's make a study plan." They worked together, and Maya felt more confident. "This worry about your friends not liking you," Grandmother continued, "is a 'what-if.' Your friends care about you. Remember when they made you that card?" Maya smiled, remembering. Slowly, the heavy feeling lifted. From then on, whenever worries came, Maya knew what to do. She could sort them, face the real ones, and let go of the 'what-ifs.'