단편#10 - Toto the bunny
책, 《습관의 힘》의 내용을 동화로 녹여내어 보았다.
오늘 소개할 책은, 너무나 유명한 찰스 두히그의 "습관의 힘"이다. (원제 : Atomic Habit)
오래전에 나온 책이지만, 베스트셀러나 스테디셀러는 언제 읽더라도 시대를 관통하는 메시지가 담겨있다.
간단하게 책의 내용을 요약해 보자면,
◇ 작은 변화가 인생을 바꾼다.
◇ 목표보다 습관의 구조가 중요하다.
◇ 행동을 바꾸기 위해서는 정체성 변화부터 시작하라
예시: "나는 매일 운동하는 사람이야" → 행동이 쉬워짐
이런 습관의 힘을 강조하고자, 동화 속에 녹여내 보았다.
달리기라는 주제로 이야기를 뽑으려고 하였으나, 지난번에 이미 썼던 소재인지라 글짓기 관련으로 내용을 바꿔보았다. (자기 계발서 기준으로 GPT한테 동화 제작해 달라고 하면 웬일인지 '달리기'가 소재로 많이 나온다.)
꼭 자기 계발서가 아니더라도, 습관의 힘을 주변에서 자주 찾아볼 때가 많다.
와이프의 습관은 매일매일 사진을 정리하고 일기를 쓰는 것인데 (존경하는 부분 중에 하나이다.), 그래서인지 기억력이 압도적으로 좋다. 나는 하나도 기억 못 하는 것들을 마치 어제 겪은 일인 양 설명하는 걸 보면 감탄이 나올 때가 많다.
내 습관은 프렌즈나 영어로 된 드라마를 보면 쉐도잉을 하는 것이다. 덕분에 영어실력은 쇠퇴하지 않고 있다고 본다.
이처럼 우리 아이들에게도 습관의 힘을 알려주고, 좋은 습관으로 삶을 채워나가는 것이 중요하다는 것을 깨달았으면 하는 바람에서 아래와 같이 준비해 보았다.
Toto the Bunny and the Magic of Small Habits
In a quiet little school in the middle of the forest, there lived a bunny named Toto. Toto was sweet and curious—but honestly? She didn’t really like sitting still for too long. She’d much rather hop around the playground than read a book.
Every time the teacher asked the class to write something, Toto would frown and stare at her blank paper.
“I’m just not good at this,” she would whisper.
Her classmate Turtle, named Tato, was different. Tato went to after-school lessons every day. He always had a stack of notebooks and knew all the big, fancy words.
One morning, their teacher made an announcement.
“Next month, we’ll have a writing contest! Everyone will write a story from their own life.”
Toto’s ears drooped a little. A contest? That meant she’d have to write a lot… and probably lose.
That night, she sat under a big tree and thought about quitting before she even started. But then she remembered something their owl teacher had once said:
“A little habit, done every day, can change everything.”
So Toto decided to try something small. Just one page of a book before bed. That’s it. And after reading, she would write one sentence in her notebook. Not a whole story—just a sentence about her day.
◇ Day 1: “Today I jumped over a puddle and got my feet wet.”
◇ Day 3: “The squirrel in the book was afraid at first, but he tried anyway. I liked that.”
◇ Day 7: “I think writing helps me remember the best parts of my day.”
At first, it was just a habit—something gentle and easy that she actually enjoyed. But slowly, without even noticing, her one-sentence entries turned into little paragraphs. Then full pages. Her notebook filled with funny moments, dreams, and even little stories.
She wasn’t doing it for the contest anymore. She was doing it because it made her happy.
Finally, the day of the contest arrived.
Tato the turtle came in with a big folder and said proudly:
“I stayed up late all week writing this!”
Toto just brought her notebook. No folder. No plan. Just the habit she had loved for a whole month.
When it was her turn, she stood up and read a story she had written three nights ago—about how she had once gotten lost on the way home and discovered a patch of wildflowers instead. It wasn’t perfect. But it was honest. Warm. Real.
A few days later, the results came in.
First place: Toto the Bunny!
Everyone clapped, even Tato.
“But… how did you beat me?” he asked, eyes wide. “You didn’t even go to writing class!”
Toto smiled.
“I just wrote a little every night. Because I liked it. I didn’t plan for the contest—I just kept writing.”
And that’s how Toto learned something important: Sometimes, doing something small every day—not to win, but just because it feels good—can lead to something even greater than trying really hard all at once.
From that day on Toto never stopped reading and writing. Because now, she knew: Tiny habits can grow into big magic.
