Illustration coming soon

Rachelli and the Quiet Corner

Ages 6-9 | Story and 9 activities

Rachelli's house is loud on Erev Shabbos.

The mixer whirrs. The oven timer beeps. Her brothers run up and down the stairs, and the baby is crying in the high chair. Mommy is calling, "Who has the challah pans?" Totty is calling, "Where are my shoes?"

Rachelli stands in the middle of the kitchen, holding a spoon. Everything buzzes around her like bees. Her head feels full.

"Rachelli, can you stir the soup?" says Mommy.

"Okay," says Rachelli.

"Rachelli, can you set the table?" says Bubby from the doorway.

"Okay."

"Rachelli, can you watch the baby for a minute?" says her older sister.

"I can't!" Rachelli bursts out. Her voice is louder than she means. "Everyone's asking me for everything! I can't do it all!"

The kitchen pauses. Mommy looks at her. Rachelli's eyes fill with tears, and she drops the spoon with a clatter.

"Oh, sweetheart," says Mommy. "It is a lot of noise."

Rachelli nods, wiping her face with her sleeve.

"Would you like to go to your quiet corner for a few minutes?"

Rachelli has a quiet corner. It is a small spot behind the bookcase in the hallway, with a soft green pillow and a basket of picture books. Mommy set it up last summer. Rachelli rarely uses it, but right now, it sounds perfect.

"Yes," she whispers.

She walks down the hall. The noise gets softer with each step. She sits on the pillow and pulls her knees up. The bookshelf makes a little wall around her.

She breathes in. She breathes out. She picks up the smooth gray stone Mommy keeps in the basket, and she holds it in her hand. It is cool. She breathes in again, counting to four. She breathes out slowly, counting to six.

Her shoulders loosen. The buzzing in her head softens, like bees settling into a hive. She can still hear the kitchen, but it doesn't feel so close.

After five minutes, she opens a picture book about a bear who hibernates. She looks at the pictures. She doesn't read the words. She just looks.

Soon, she hears soft footsteps. Mommy peeks around the shelf.

"How are you?"

"Better," says Rachelli. "I'm ready."

"Do you want to tell me what you can do for Shabbos?"

Rachelli thinks. "I can stir the soup, and I can set the table. But not the baby. Someone else has to watch her."

"That sounds fair. I'll ask your sister."

Back in the kitchen, Rachelli stirs the soup slowly. The smell of chicken and carrots rises up. She sets out the plates, one, two, three, and the silverware, and the cups. By the time candle lighting comes, the table looks beautiful, and the house is calm.

After Mommy lights the candles, she gives Rachelli a hug. "Thank you for taking care of yourself."

Her little brother wanders in just then and asks what the corner is for. "It's for taking a break when it's too loud," says Rachelli. He climbs in beside her and holds the stone. They sit there together, breathing, until he gets bored and runs off.

Rachelli smiles. She knows exactly where to go next time. She also knows it is all right to say, "That's enough for now."