1. Luminara Learns About Being Nervous in Public

Growing Together at Dino Cove — Episode 1 of 5

When Being Excited and Nervous

By the Dino Cove Learning Center there was a piece of open ground. It received good sunlight, had one shady tree, and was large enough to accommodate something special. Luminara wished to turn it into a community reading garden.

She pictured a place that had benches, some flowers, a small book box, and broad paths on which dinosaurs of all sizes could read together.

Luminara agreed at once when the Learning Center asked her to announce the project, because she liked the idea and had already planned the garden two times, listing the plants which could grow there.

But when the morning came for the announcement, her stomach gave a flutter and her feet would not remain still, with each sentence seeming to dodge just as she tried to speak it.

This is nonsense, Luminara whispered, because she should be excited.

Groovy tilted her head and said, “Perhaps you do feel excited.”

So why do I have the feeling of hiding behind a tree?

Groovy smiled and said, “Perhaps you’re nervous as well.”

Luminara was attempting to pick one emotion, even though excitement and nervousness could exist together. She halted and saw the signs.

Her joy seemed exciting to me and her stiff shoulders suggested that she was nervous as well; underneath both of these things was the fact that she cared about the project.

She wrote three words at the top of her note card:

Excited Nervous Ready

Luminara took a deep, steady breath and then gave an explanation of the reading garden, asking the community to help select the plants.

When she had finished, her shoulders were relaxed and Thumper clapped so hard that the birds flew away from the tree next to it.

Luminara smiled. She didn’t make the nervous feeling disappear; she had named it, understood it was a natural feeling to have, and carried it with her while she did something important.

Dino Cove Takeaway
Naming what you feel can help you understand what it is. And decide what to do next.

Try It: Become a Feelings Detective

1. Take note of a physical sign—is your stomach nervous, your face warm, your jaw tight, or do you have a higher-than-usual level of energy?
2. List one or two emotions that could go with the clue.
3. Consider the things that are important to you right now and then select one useful next step.

Talk About It

• What made Luminara think that she was not supposed to feel nervous?
• Do you remember an instance when you experienced two emotions simultaneously?
• What enabled Luminara to make progress even though she was nervous?

Next week: Thumper discovers what to do when a problem makes him want to stomp first and think later.