Transcript: Episode 3
Snow Time, Snack Time
[Theme song plays on piano]
John speaks: Well, I wanna do one too if we’re gonna do ‘em. But, today it’s so cold and it’s snowing, and that’s what I can tell everybody about, is it’s snowing. And the snow is very cold, but also it’s kinda sparkly, but it tried to blind my eyes, I think. But we walked to the park. It’s only two miles. And we walked to the park in the snow, and I did not even fall ONE TIME! And then, we played on the playground in the snow, and I got to do ALL the footprints, because no one else came to the park in the snow!
And then also, it was, um… walking home, I saw a dog, but she said I cannot keep it. But I got to play in the snow, and I got home safe, and I find my way ‘cause I know how to do it ALL BY MYSELF! And I have permission walk to the park. So, we walked the kids to school, and then we can walk to the park all by ourselves without nothing helping us. Just all by myself, and we had so much fun!
[Sounds of wind and walking in the snow]
Can you hear me walking?
[Louder sounds of footsteps in snow]
Crunch, crunch, crunch! That’s just me stompin’!
[pause]
I like if we get to go stompin’. If I can go stompin’ in the snow, then I can hear it “Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!” Do you hear that sound? It was “Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!” And then, I just get to walk all the way. And when we get home, then we play in the back yard, and we made a snowman. And, I know, Amber just sings the song, “Do you wanna be a snowman?” And I say, “Stop singing the Frozen song, ‘cause I’m tired of the Frozen song!” But she still just keeps singing, [sings] “Do you wanna be a snowman? Do you wanna build a snowman? Do you wanna build a snowman?” Over and over and over. “No! I DON’T wanna build a snowman! I DID wanna build a snowman, but I don’t wanna build a snowman NOW, with YOU, if you’re gonna keep singing that song!” So she stopped singing the song. So, since she stopped singing the song, I went and I got some carrots, and also some blueberries. And we used the blueberries for to make some eyeballs and to make some buttons. And then, I took her husband’s hat, and we made a hat for our snowman. And, um… That’s what we did today, play outside.
But now the kids are at school and I’m so glad because they were home for so many days for, um, it was Thanksgiving. And I got to eat so much food! I had some mashed potatoes, and I had some green beans, and I had some meat, and I had some pie, and I had some… What else did I have? I don’t even know ‘cause I had so many foods. And we put up our Christmas tree, and I’m not even scared of it. But some people are scared of it, but I’m not scared of it today. My therapist says… she says, she says…um, she says “Now Time Is Safe”. And that means if you have Memory Time, it’s not right now, it’s just a memory. And it was a long time ago, and it really was hard, so you don’t have to feel bad that it was hard. But Now Time, Now Time Is Safe. And that can help you feel better. And she write on my hand with a Sharpie, and it said, “N.T.I.S.” And that means, “Now Time Is Safe”. She wrote on my hand. And, um… So we put up our Christmas tree up, and I look at my hand, and it says “Now Time Is Safe.” And all those outside kids, they have so much fun of it. And there are some Christmas lights, and Amber lights the Christmas lights, which make her stop singing the snowman song.
And then, um…and then now, now every—all of—everybody, all of the kids, all of the outside kids all went back to school. But I don’t have to go to school. I can just stay home, and I can play in the snow, and I can build a snowman, and… I don’t know what else I do, maybe a puzzle. Or, I know somebody who maybe will be painting today. But I, I’m not very good at painting, but I can if I want to. But I don’t get in trouble at our house, ‘cause Now Time Is Safe. So, our house now is a safe house, and so we have a house that’s safe now. So we don’t want to be too scared, and if I go out and play in the snow, I don’t get locked out there or nothing, and I’m not cold and I’m not scared. I just come inside, and I can warm up, and I can play with something else, or I can do some Play-Dough or something. But I don’t have to be afraid, because Now Time Is Safe. That’s what N.T.I.S. means, it means Now Time Is Safe. And so I wrote it in Sharpie on my hand.
And, um… And also, I can get a snack maybe. Maybe some pudding, or a piece of cheese, or maybe, maybe we’ll have something fun at lunch time. I don’t, I don’t really know what we’re having at lunch time, because, well, I just ate breakfast. But I’m excited for lunch time. Um, I also kinda like dinner time. But when the kids come home from school, then that is snack time. And I like snack time too, so that might be fun. But when the kids come home from school, then you know what we’re doing? We are going outside, at the back yard, by the park, and we’re going SLEDDIIING, down the HIIIILLLL! And I CANNOT EVEN WAIT, I AM SO EXCITED FOR IT! You will not even believe it! It will be so much fun!
You know what else is fun? Coming in from the snow, and having hot chocolate. And you can put some marshmallows in there, and that’s pretty fun too, ‘cause I like a good snack. And if you’re cold, you need to warm up, and the best way to warm up is some hot chocolate. And, um, some marshmallows in there, for so, it’ll be tasty. And then—and then your hot chocolate will make you warm, but not hot, just warm. You know what can make you hot? Is if you have CHIPS AND SALSA! That’s a good snack! If you have chips and salsa, then that can make you warm. That’s in a fun way, or like a summer time snack, or really an anytime snack, or just if you want some snack. Some salsa is, it’s pretty yummy! So that’s what, that’s, that’s—that’s what I know about, is some snacks, and hot chocolate and the snow.
And also some dogs, but I don’t got a dog right now. I used to have a dog, and I really like dogs, but I don’t got one right now. But, um… I think that’s all, ‘cause I tried to make a podcast like Sasha, but this kinda just made me hungry. So I think I need to go get a snack, um… um, for, for snack time, because we talked about snack time, so maybe now it is snack time. So I hope you have a good day, and you can go play in the snow, and um, I’ll see you another time. But not like a video, ‘cause she told me it’s only podcast is listening, and not a video for watching. So she teach me, Sasha teach me how to do it, and maybe I can. But, um, I think maybe now we all go have a snack, maybe you might want a snack. Something--something delicious, that you--you feel not hungry, and then you feel delicious, and then that, that’s pretty happy. ‘Cause Now Time Is Safe! So, SNACK TIME IS SAFE! [chuckles] Yeah, that’s how it goes, I think!
[pause]
Thanks for listening! Your support really helps us feel less alone while we sort through all this, and learn together. Maybe it will help you in some way, too. Connect with us on Facebook, in some of the survivor groups, or on our website, systemspeak.org . Thank you!