Max the Monkey Gets in the Game
By Bill Conley
Moral
of the Story:
It doesn’t matter what activity you
choose—as long as you choose something and give it your best. When you
find something you enjoy, stick with it, practice often, and don’t give up just
because it gets hard. You don’t need to be perfect—you just need to be proud of
your progress. Life is more exciting when you get off the sidelines and into
the action, spending more time exploring, playing, and learning what makes you
come alive.
In the heart of Banana Bay lived a
little monkey named Max.
Max was kind, clever, and full of
energy—but he never wanted to join anything.
“Wanna play tree tag with us?” the
other monkeys would ask.
“I don’t know,” Max would say,
sitting on a stump.
“How about art club?” suggested Mia.
“We’re making leaf prints!”
“I’m not really good at drawing,”
Max shrugged.
The truth was, Max didn’t think he
was good at anything. So he didn’t try.
He sat on the sidelines, watching
others swing, jump, run, paint, and play.
He wasn’t bored—just… stuck.
One day, Max’s grandpa stopped by
the treehouse.
“Why so quiet, champ?” he asked,
handing Max a juicy slice of mango.
“I don’t know what I’m good at,” Max
mumbled.
Grandpa nodded. “Well, you won’t
find out by doing nothing.”
“But what if I try and mess up?” Max
asked.
“Messing up means you’re trying,”
Grandpa said. “Nobody gets good without practice. You’ve just got to get in
the game.”
The next day, Max saw a sign outside
the clearing:
“Join Jungle Band – All Instruments
Welcome!”
Max hesitated. He had never played
anything before.
But he remembered Grandpa’s words.
“I’ll try,” he whispered.
At Jungle Band tryouts, the leader,
Parrot Pete, showed Max a set of small jungle drums.
“Give it a go,” Pete said.
Max tapped.
Then thumped.
Then got a rhythm going.
“Hey!” Pete squawked. “You’ve got
natural rhythm!”
Max grinned.
It was fun. And a little tricky. But
he liked it.
Over the next few days, Max
practiced on sticks, buckets, and even coconuts.
Boom-tap, boom-boom-tap.
At first, his paws slipped and his
beats got mixed up.
But each time he messed up, he tried
again.
Practice, practice, practice.
Soon, Max could keep the beat for
the whole band. When they played under the moonlight at the Jungle Jamboree,
everyone clapped and danced.
After the show, Max’s friend Milo
ran over.
“That was awesome, Max! I didn’t
know you could drum!”
“I didn’t either,” Max laughed. “I
just had to try.”
From that moment on, Max decided to
stay involved.
He joined jungle soccer, even though
he’d never kicked a nutball before.
He helped plant flowers in the Meadow Garden, even though he didn’t know how
deep to dig.
He made mistakes, but he always showed
up and gave it his best.
Sometimes he got tired. Sometimes he
wanted to quit. But each time, he remembered:
You don’t need to be perfect. You
just have to keep trying.
Max also started spending less time
on the family vine tablet. Instead of tapping on a screen, he was tapping real
drums. Instead of watching other animals play games, he was out in the sun,
laughing and running and living.
His mom said, “You’ve really come
alive, Max.”
“I just needed to stop sitting and
start doing,” he said with a smile.
Now, Max encourages other kids too.
“Find something you love,” he says.
“Anything. Just don’t stay stuck. Get up, get out, and give it a go!”
And the forest cheered—because Max,
once the quiet monkey on the sidelines, had become the one cheering everyone
else on.
Moral
Poem to End the Story:
Try your best and don’t delay,
Find what you love and jump in today!
Practice well and keep your stride,
Life’s more fun when you’re not on the side!
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