Mermaids and Ruby Slippers

As we floated in the pool to escape the heat daughter # 2 asks me;

"Do you like mermaids momma?"

I never really thought about it.  So I give her a shrug of the shoulders and reply with no enthusiasm what so ever:

"I guess they are kinda cool. Why do you like them?"

"They are so pretty and they have powers!"

She was beaming. Her smile was big. And I kinda felt bad for being a downer... then it hit me.

This was a huge teachable moment for me and it was waiting there for me to seize it.  Do not squander it. don't be less than enthusiastic; don't be a downer!

Sitting there on a silver platter was the opportunity to tell daughter # 2 this:

You are pretty and have powers too,  ya know?

It may look different then the mermaids powers but you do. Even if you don't see it sometimes... they are there. You just have to figure them out!

I went on to say that the power is in us to do lots of things, 

 the power to be kind 

 the power to make a difference 

 the power to learn 

 the power to do something bravish

 the power to forgive
 the power to be anything you want to be
 the power to dream

Her brown eyes just stared at me. A smile curled up on her lips...

"Where do I get that power?" she said.

"Well you get that power from your passion and drive and your village. Your people, your friends,  help fuel that power."

Hopefully. 

She laughed and the moment swam off. As I heard those last words come out I believed every word of them. We all have that power and passion to do something. Whatever it is. And the people around us are the ones that keep us afloat and paddling when we want to give up.

The Little Mermaid was all about dreaming and the power to change her course. With her dinglehoppers and passion she makes her dreams a reality.

We recently went to see The Wizard of Oz and the aha moment went off again sitting there holding my girl's hand. Dorothy desperately wants to get home. Glinda the Good Witch tells her; "You have always had the power my dear; you just had to learn it for yourself".

I am pretty sure Ariel and Dorothy would be best of friends, don't you??

Whether its your mermaid tail or your ruby slippers... you have the power.

So surround yourself with people who get it. And get you! Be someone's biggest fan and give them the fuel and energy to power on. You don't get to take their power. Use your own.  We all have it, we just need to learn it for ourselves.

Kindness Rules

Kindness is my mode of operand i. I believe you should try to be kind in any and all situations- you, we, all of us should just do it. It bothers me when people aren't kind to waiters and waitresses, retail clerks alike. There is a saying that goes like this , "If a person who is nice to you but isn't kind to the waiter is not a nice person".  You get the picture, right? Or how about the person that hides behind the computer screen... and picks fights and belittles others while trying to make their point.

I preach it to my girls. I preach it to my students. And after I preach it I try and show them what it looks like. Now before you get all judgy on me; I am not saying I get it right all the time;  I have flaws and have made mistakes. But ultimately kindness rules. So imagine when my nose got all out of place when I read an article about just the opposite. To say I was ticked off is an understatement.

After I read this article on TODAY.COM  about an incident that involved three young girls at a Starbucks not being kind and saying mean things about other people, particularly Catherine and how they voted her out of their singing group. They went on to bash gifts they had received and people's performances at a recent talent show. These pretty girls were talking ugly about others. It struck a nerve. I'm not going to lie it made me angry to just read of this.  How dare they?

What happens next is so awesome- a lady hears them; obviously unnerved by the whole thing and does something. Because she simply must! In a North Carolina Starbucks she simply stood up to the unkind behavior of three girls with none other than kindness! She writes them a note and buys them another drink! The note reads: 

Hi Girls!

"I sat near you today in Starbucks and listened as you talked. You three are obviously pretty and hard-working. I wish your kindness matched your pretty exteriors. I heard you talk about a girl who sang a song about being lonely in the talent show – and you laughed. About a girl who couldn’t be lead singer because you got all the votes, about crappy presents other people have given you…and you sounded so mean and petty.

"You are smart and you are pretty. It would take nothing from you to also be kind. – M.

Courtesy Of Facebook page Michelle in the Middle
http://michelleinthemiddle.com

This was one of those moments that I wish I could give this awesome, brave, lady a high five. Her name is Michelle. You can read more about her here. She totally nailed it and is the epitome of what authentic kindness is. Right? I mean, she could have just shrugged her shoulders and walked away ticked off. Instead she did the right thing- even when no one was looking. Aw, my friends, integrity, loyalty, authentic kindness, all stuff that is hard to come by these days. But I refuse to be okay with that!  

If you see something or your spidy sense goes off and something just doesn't feel right... you must say something. Be true and be brave. Stand up for what you know is right; even if it isn't what everyone else is doing.  What if your daughter was Catherine?