I've been super busy still, but I was able to motivate Jeanette to write this out by promising her we could take a mental health walk afterwards.

I've had it scripted for a week now, but I was waiting to get into her mindset and add the prose.

I REALLY love how this turned out! I think I might be getting better at shorter and faster paced stories!

Also, I cannot get enough of my favorite duo interacting. I promise at some point I'll write a Jeanette-centric fic that doesn't also include Alvin. Today, is not that day haha.

Also, I would like to dedicate this mini tale to my therapist who taught me that there are dozens of different ways to meditate. Including, using your imagination! Fun fact: Writing fun, happy, humorous little stories IS basically my way of mediating.

As much as I adore angst and hurt/comfort, these mini tales are helping ease my stress and increase my emotional control. That's not to say there won't be mini tales with angst and hurt/comfort eventually though. I have a really good hurt/comfort Halloween idea hehe.

And I have once again made this note far too long. Take it away, Jeanette!

IMAGINATION MEDITATION

Jeanette's POV

It was a beautiful day…No, wait, I always start my stories like that, don't I? I should mix it up with something different. Okay, uhhh…It was a day like any other. Hmmm. That's not right either. Oh, oh, I've got it!

It was a bright and sunshiny summer day! The birds were singing, the clouds were as fluffy as the softest pillows, and I was hard at work in my garden.

I never enjoy the process of weeding. It makes me feel sorry for all the weeds. Unfortunately, if I don't get rid of them, they take the nutrients away from all the other plants. It's a necessary procedure. I do love my emotions. I wouldn't feel like the same person if I was less emotional. But, like everything they come with downsides.

I removed my lilac colored gardening gloves and wiped the tears from my eyes. "Forgive me." I whispered gently as I slipped them back on and plucked another pesky weed.

I worked in the garden for a while, until I arrived at the last patch of weeds. I internally hoped that something would come up and give me an excuse to take a break. I know breaks are very important, but once I get started on something, stopping can be extremely difficult.

There was this one time I spent 8 full hours writing a story. I can't remember which story at the moment. It might have been the fairy kitten one, with Gutsy the adorable kitten. Or maybe it was the one about the walrus who got separated from his family and had to navigate the ice and snow with help from an Emperor penguin.

Oops, getting off track.

One of the straps from my purple overalls slipped off my shoulder. I re-adjusted it and continued working. The heat was beginning to bother me, so I took a sip from my re-usable water bottle.

Just then, as if answering my silent plea, Alvin skated down the sidewalk on his skateboard. It was the skateboard he invented. The one with the ability to fly. Sometimes, he still uses his regular and ordinary skateboard, but it's clear this is the one he prefers.

The glitter glue atom drawn on his red baseball cap glistened in the sunlight. He waved to me and skated closer. "Netta, hey, how's it going?" He greeted me in a very friendly way.

I smiled and stood up, removing my gardening gloves once more and placing them in the grass. "Wonderfully!" I smiled. "It's a beautiful day!"

I really do say that a lot. Don't I? Heh heh.

Alvin dismounted his skateboard and came racing up to me with an awkward grin on his face. "Have you got time for a session?" He asked.

"I think so." I replied. Grateful to have him there, to motivate me to take that much needed break.

"Great!" He set the skateboard down and started to tell me about everything on his mind. "I'm still so stressed lately and I dunno what to do about it." He confessed. "It's summer, so I should be out having fun, but all my stupid brain wants to do is look at physics videos on YouTube and try to get ahead for the new school year. I think…I think the anxiety is…kinda kickin' my butt, at the moment." He rubbed his neck and then adjusted his stylish red glasses.

I beamed at him so intensely that my cheeks started to ache. "I have just the thing to help. Follow me." I said excitedly.

The shoulder strap on my dungarees fell down AGAIN. I adjusted it and used a clothespin from my pocket to clip it to my shirt. There. Problem solved.

I led Alvin closer to the tree containing the treehouse my sisters and I lived in. He picked up his skateboard again and set the shiny silver object down against the treehouse steps.

The excitable chipmunk rubbed his hands together. "Ohoho, sweet! What are we doin'? Some emotion analysis? Catastrophic thinkin' control? What about a little distraction action?" He stopped momentarily to rub his stomach. "I could go for something to eat. I can't remember if I ate today. I think I did. My stomach isn't growling."

He did have a habit of getting awfully distracted, but thanks to a few years of lessons I happily supplied, he had learned to use it to his advantage and work around it.

"We can get some lunch together after our session." I informed him sweetly. Then, I took a seat in the grass. I was one with nature and ready to teach Alvin something new.

"Sounds good." The energetic boy paced around, back and forth. "The floor is yours. Let the session begin. Just tell me what to try and I'll try it. No questions asked."

I was very pleased that he was eager and willing. I calmly stated my intentions. "I want you to try some meditation."

Alvin frowned and held up his hands with the palms facing me. "I'm gonna stop you right there, Netta. I don't meditate. Ever. It just doesn't work on me. I wind up bored or falling asleep." He explained.

I raised an eyebrow. "Because it's a Simon thing?"

"No….because it's….uhhh…." He struggled, before finally giving up. "Okay, yeah, because it's a Simon thing." He admitted, begrudgingly.

I expected a reaction like this, and I was prepared to handle it. "You know there ARE different ways to meditate." I replied softly.

Alvin's ears both twitched, one after the other. His eyes got wider. He was suddenly intensely invested in what I had to say.

"There are?" His tail started to wiggle.

My tail joined in. "Absolutely." I squeaked. "Why don't we try a little something called Imagination Meditation?"

This was a practice I developed for myself after realizing that I struggled to clear my head using standard meditation. Eventually, I practiced so much that I could enter a flow state at will. Creative and calming thoughts bouncing around like spirited kangaroos. Do I use too many animal similes?

Alvin 2.0, as he enjoys calling himself, stroked his chin. He was deep in thought. Finally, he answered me. "Well, I do really love using my imagination!" He smiled. "Let's give it a shot!"

I began the lesson. "Okay, sit down, close your eyes,….and picture yourself in a happy place. A place that brings you comfort." I instructed.

He immediately sat down next to me and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Not so tight." I advised. "You don't want to feel tense. Just shut them ever so gently."

"Okay." Alvin opened his eyes and then shut them again. This time, he seemed more relaxed.

I waited a little bit, no more than about 30 seconds. Then, I softly spoke to him again. "Have you arrived at your happy place?"

"Yes." He murmured.

"Is it a place that brings you comfort? And security?" I asked.

"Yes." His lips turned ever so slightly into the hint of a smile.

This was going well so far!

"Where are you?" I questioned, ready to move on to the next steps.

That's when he surprised me. "Outer space." He responded.

Okay, well, not what I expected. I suppose I can work with it though. "Is that your happy place?" I tilted my head, trying to figure out how space could possibly bring him comfort and security.

"Don't worry! I'm wearing an astronaut suit and space helmet." He babbled at a fast speed.

I giggled quietly. He is so odd. I love it. "Okay, now….what are you doing in space?"

He answered immediately. "Mainly floating, I guess. Not much to do in space. But the planets and stars sure are neat. I would impulsively touch one, but then it would burn me to a crisp because stars are EXTREMELY hot."

I wasn't sure what to say to that. I decided to improvise. "Yeah…so, um, don't touch the star." I instructed. "Especially not when you're in such an immersive daydream state. Just focus on floating….floating…."

Suddenly, his voice got louder and more vibrant. "Oh no! Asteroids are headed straight for me!" He exclaimed, still seated with his eyes closed, what a curious sight. "But they're no match for my amazing super strength! I can pick them up and toss them into another galaxy." He went on.

I had to bring him back down to Earth…in more ways than one. "Sure, sure,….but that doesn't sound very relaxing. Does it?" My round purple glasses started to slide off my nose. I pushed them up with a single finger.

"Not at all!" Alvin agreed. "But it sounds fun!"

It seemed like he was missing the point of this exercise. He stood up with his eyes remaining closed and started to act out the process of tossing asteroids.

He spoke out loud the entire time. "Haha! Take that! And that! And….oh look, here comes Brittany in a rocketship! Whoops! Accidentally sent her hurtling toward Venus. Eh, she'll be fine."

"This is not going how I planned." I murmured, under my breath.

Alvin continued to imagine more random and intense things. "Oh no! There's space pirates! They're attacking me! But, not to worry! I have got LASERS! PEW PEW PEW PEW!" He pointed at the sky with his fingers, his eyes still shut. "Taste some light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, sucker! PEW PEW PEW!"

I needed to get through to him. "Alvin?" I called out, hoping to reclaim his attention.

"Aw nuts! They're bringing in the big guns now!" The boy in the baseball cap squeaked. "They have a canon! And it's firing asteroids at me! Ahhhh! Or are those meteors? I can't tell."

I made my voice slightly louder. "Alvin?"

He wandered around, making crazy hand gestures. "BLAMMO! Oops! There goes your asteroid ammo! Hey, that rhymes! Oooh, I should make a song using that line. My lasers are no match for your puny canon! Haha!"

I didn't want it to come to this, but he'd left me no choice. "ALVINNN!" I shouted, in that similar way his father shouts.

The boy's bright blue eyes flew open. "What?" He looked confused.

"I don't want to interrupt your…uh…exciting space fight, but…we're, well, you're supposed to be relaxing." I explained, my lips quivering slightly as the nerves crept in.

Alvin blinked at me. His face was blank. His expression was unreadable beyond the fact that he either didn't understand, or wasn't fully listening to what I was telling him. Another blink.

What do I say now? This was so awkward!

"The exercise won't work to relieve your stress unless you're actually relaxing." I fumbled out, somehow. I guess I was getting better at communicating without stammering or stuttering.

To my utter amazement, Alvin rubbed his arm sheepishly. "I….I….was."

"Huh?" I wasn't sure…how that could be possible. Nothing in my psychology book talked about this.

The boy in the red and cyan T-shirt with a big yellow A started to pace around again. As he did, he told me exactly how he felt.

"All that action and drama and losing myself in the excitement….that is relaxing to me." He insisted. "I can't relax the way most people think when they think of relaxing."

It still seemed so foreign to me. I suppose that stands to reason. I didn't personally experience it, nor was I able to imagine what it felt like.

"But….but…that's going to physically tire you out and cause more stress on your body." I pointed out.

"I know. But, it's really a losing battle." He replied. "If my body is stressed out, then my mind is less stressed, but if my body isn't stressed out, then my mind is. The only time I ever "relax" is when I'm asleep….and even that stresses my mind out, with nightmares and stuff."

That poor poor kid. I wish I could find a way to take his nightmares away, while leaving his dreams.

I tapped a finger against my cheek. "…Very very interesting." I said.

"That's also why I gotta keep switchin' between doin' Classic Alvin stuff and Alvin 2.0 stuff." He explained. "Acting like Classic physically tires me out…" He gestured to his body. "…and acting like 2.0 mentally tires me out." He tapped his forehead with a finger.

That actually made more sense than I initially thought! He was searching for a way to relieve the mental stress only! So the Imagination Meditation didn't have to be traditionally relaxing! It just had to help him think about things that made him less anxious. Apparently being in a space battle was one of those things. It would do the opposite for me. Because I abhor senseless conflicts, it would make me MORE anxious.

"Incredible." I exclaimed. "I have to write this down and put it in my notes." I flapped my hands, bursting with excitement. I love learning different ways people function!

"You want a notepad? I have one in case of emergencies." The Chipmunk with the long red-orange hair pulled a notepad from the pocket of his deep blue shorts with cyan physics equations on them.

I accepted it with a giddy grin. "Thank you." I removed the purple colored pencil from behind my ear and jotted down SO MANY notes.

"Can I go back to meditating now?" Alvin asked, cautiously reaching out to put a hand on my shoulder.

I nodded while giggling. "Of course."

He jumped up in the air a little. "Cool. Now, where was I?" His eyes drifted closed again. "Run away space pirates! Or I guess like, float away, because you're in space. I'm gonna carve my name into your spaceship with my laser now! Victory is mine! Ohoho!" The dramatic hand gestures returned.

It didn't take long before my older sister, Brittany, came outside. She glared at both of us from the treehouse balcony. Both her fists were clenched around the railing.

"What is all that noise? I'm trying to write on my blog and I can't think straight!" She sounded very upset. Although, she can also sound upset by default, so I can never be 100% sure.

I looked up at her with my ears flattened down and an awkward smile. "Oh, uh, I was….just teaching Alvin to meditate."

"Does he have to be so loud!?" She asked, angrily.

Alvin cut into the convo, his eyes remained closed. "I do. I'm speaking over all the mind clutter. And the 3 songs playing in my head." I wonder which three songs they are. I probably shouldn't ask though. It might start a tangent, and Brittany has no patience for tangents.

"Urrrgh." My sister groaned.

"At least he is very….self aware." I told her, meekly.

"Oh, hey, Brittany! You're back from Venus." Alvin squeaked. "Wanna help me laser blast some space pirates?"

The girl in the light pink tank top and ruffled medium pink skirt, looked up at the sky. "Not at all."

"Sorry, didn't mean you." Alvin replied. "I meant the imaginary Britt in my head. I can see how that would cause some confusion."

I just shrugged. I didn't know WHAT to make of this situation at all.

"At least he's thinking about me." Brittany sighed. Then, she smiled a bit. "My best friend thinks about me…even though his head is full of science clutter, he takes time to think about me." She said to herself. Or maybe to me? I couldn't tell.

I decided to join the conversation anyway. "He is remarkable. Isn't he?"

"Don't push it." She snapped, back to sounding aggravated.

Maybe she hadn't been speaking to me after all. Oops. Or maybe she just didn't think remarkable was a word that describes Alvin.

I sighed to myself. One of these days, I'll figure out how to make my sister less upset by default.

The next day, I was extremely excited to tell Simon all about my success! I found him in the kitchen of The Seville house. He was baking something with his little brother Theodore and my little sister Eleanor. They were such a cute trio together. They should spend time with each other more often.

I raced over to the counter and lept onto a stack of books placed on the chair. "Simon, I have some absolutely incredible news!" I declared.

"So do we!" Theodore smiled proudly. He pointed at his older brother in blue.

Eleanor rested an arm on the countertop. "Simon finally made cupcakes that don't result in a call to poison control."

"Yeah!" Theo showed me one of the lemon flavored cupcakes. "We taught him how!"

His bespectacled brother glanced away from the recipe notes he had been writing. "It's been a challenge, but, I've embarked on a mission to challenge myself to leave my comfort zone at least once a month. Maybe twice."

"Awww! I'm so proud of you, Simon!" I gushed. I really was! Comfort zones are fun, but they can get restrictive. Branching out is a necessity.

Simon beamed like he'd just been told he won a Nobel prize. "Thanks." He looked down at the cupcakes.

Theodore finished snacking on a cupcake and wiped the crumbs from his mouth. "So what's your news about?"

Oh good! My segue into the conversation had finally arrived.

"I taught Alvin how to meditate." I squeaked, flapping my hands and then twisting the ribbon attached to my bun.

Simon's eyes widened in disbelief. "There's no way."

"Did you sedate him?" Eleanor asked. I hoped she was making a joke. Although, I don't think that's appropriate to joke about.

"No." I answered.

My pigtailed sister continued to talk. "Because I have tranquilizer darts if you need them…"

Theodore stopped her, giving her shoulder a firm squeeze. "Ellie." He said sternly, frowning a little.

"Did you bribe him with candy to get him to sit still?" Simon asked, still looking shocked.

"No." Good heavens. They all still had such little faith in him. They had come a long way, but there was still work to be done.

Theo tilted his head. "Then how'd ya do it?"

Oh dear. How to start? "I….uh….err…it's a little tricky to explain." I stammered.

I guess I didn't need to fully explain. At that moment, we heard Alvin's loud and exuberant voice coming from the living room.

"Captain, Captain, there's been a situation! Three of our men were just eaten by a colossal shark! We have to turn the ship around! I think the shark is wearing a jetpack! Ahhhh! There he is again! He just swooped in and got another one! I'll activate the cloaking device and make the ship invisible! Maybe that'll stop him!"

"What the?" Simon's ears twitched. He climbed down from the chair.

Eleanor groaned. "What's he rambling about this time?" She asked, though I think the question was rhetorical.

We all rushed into the living room to find Alvin with his eyes closed, running back and forth in front of the TV. He looked like he was having a great time. Although, I had concerns about him getting hurt. Perhaps this wasn't the breakthrough idea I initially hoped it would be.

I fidgeted nervously with my friendship bracelets.

"Oh no! The cloaking device won't work!" Alvin shouted. "That blasted shark chewed the wires! I guess we'll have to go with plan B! Feed the shark a sleeping pill. Let's put it in a giant tub of applesauce and launch it into the shark's mouth! Where will we get the applesauce!? Oh, look! There's an applesauce factory on that island! What perfect timing!" He bounced from one thought to the next, seamlessly. He wasn't even stressing about whether or not his wacky ideas were physically possible.

Eleanor watched him and then stuck her tongue out, crossed her eyes, and twirled her finger around in a circle by the side of her head. I was later informed the gesture was used to indicate someone was "crazy."

Theodore tilted his head. "Applesauce sounds good, but I don't think it would go with cupcakes." He commented. "Although maybe lemon and apple would be a nice blend."

Simon grabbed his brother by the upper torso before he could walk into the coffee table. "Alvin! What on EARTH are you doing?" He snapped.

The boy in red and cyan opened his eyes. "I'm meditating." He said, nonchalantly.

Simon and Eleanor both glared at me. Theodore still looked completely lost, but I could tell he would process the situation eventually, given more time.

Fidgeting with my friendship bracelets, I tried not to look at the twin stares of annoyance. I didn't enjoy it when people were annoyed or angry with me. I'm not sure anyone does.

"He's….He's….st…still a w..work in p..p..progress." I began in a shaky voice. "I promise I'll teach him to sit still…ish. He's going to have to fidget some. I'll also train him to keep his words…inside."

Simon rubbed his forehead. He was exasperated. "And what are we supposed to do until then? Deal with this?" He asked.

"Put him in a soundproof room with no furniture?" Eleanor commented. Was she trying to help? Or be chaotic? You never really knew when it came to her.

Suddenly, Simon's aggravated face lit up with a calmer smile. "That's….actually not a bad idea."

Three days later, Simon had managed to construct a cube in the backyard to contain his brother. It was completely soundproof and transparent. A magnificently simple design. I had taped on a cute sign, covered in doodles. On the sign, Alvin and I had written…"Alvin's Meditation Station: Do Not Disturb Until The Timer Sounds"

All five of us stood in the backyard, watching Alvin walk around and gesture inside the cube with his eyes closed. He had taken to this idea incredibly well. Not surprising, as I'm sure he didn't want to accidentally injure himself during his meditation sessions.

I wished I could hear what he was saying. I could always ask him about it later, I suppose.

Brittany didn't share my feelings. "Well, at least we don't have to listen to him anymore." She commented, peering at the transparent cube.

"This is very very beneficial for his psyche." I informed the group, smiling.

Simon seemed a bit weirded out. "I'll take your word for it." He replied.

Theodore's brown eyes shined as he observed his brother in red. "He looks like he's having a LOT of fun in there."

"Yeah." Eleanor chuckled. "Who knew he'd do his best outside the box thinking…while inside a box?"

Hey! That was a joke I actually could understand! Usually, the jokes Eleanor makes go over my head.

All five of us laughed merrily together. It was a peaceful sort of laughter. We weren't laughing AT him, we were laughing at the absurdity of the situation. And Alvin was very content in his box, doing whatever he wanted to do. The adventures would be endless…until the timer went off. Goodness knows he would stay in there forever without a timer telling him when to get out.

So there you have it, Alvin finally learned to meditate in his own special way. As for me, I finished weeding my garden and then did my own Imagination Meditation session. I went on a nature hike and then I swam with dolphins and after that I took a stroll through a historic castle…all in my head.

The moral of this story is that everyone is different and unique! What affects you one way, might affect someone else differently! And that's okay! We are all wonderful and extraordinary people! If a certain method of learning something isn't suited to you, it's okay to change it! Sometimes, you have to be a little creative. Sometimes, it takes a few tries to get it right. But you'll get there. I know you will. Just listen to your mind, body, and soul.

YESSSS! I DID IT! I have been so bogged down by the job placement service program I'm in lately, I wondered if I would ever be able to summon Jeanette enough to write this. Luckily, I could.

My stress was so bad last Thursday that the Munks disappeared for a few days. I just couldn't access them through the overthink spirals about job related stuff. Then, Alvin came back. Now, they're all back. (They returned Sunday, but nobody was up to writing.) Since they're back, they can help me process my stress in a healthier way. I missed them so much.

I also had stress from ANOTHER situation added into the mix on Friday. I got my new glasses, but the prescription changed so much in the last two years that they were A NIGHTMARE to adjust to. Headaches, nausea, my eyes WOULD NOT FOCUS. They're better now, but it took 4 whole days and it's still slightly wonky.

Also, I know Theo Vs Simon reveals Simon's a great baker, but Simon was already established to be atrocious at baking in my universe LONG before that episode aired. I see no reason to change it. Just know he's getting a little better these days, but Theo and Ellie will always be the professionals.

I hope you guys enjoyed this mini tale! I have a bunch of ideas for more! Now, I have to make good on my promise to Jeanette and go on that mental health walk. Talk soon!