I had a run in with a princess. A 6 year old with the stride of a fairy. The stride that bounces through the land as if gravity does not apply. Fairy dust is clearly involved.
I pulled her onto my lap mid stride and asked her what her secret is. Truly I was intrigued.
“How do you become a princess? What is the secret?”
I said this in my usual “Aunt Abby” way half joking, but also just looking for a place to connect with children by asking them the most absurd questions. This is where I shine. And this is where I listen.
She was quiet for 2 minutes. I thought for a moment I got a giggle and the fire that we seated in front of her had picked up her dixie attention, but then she cupped her hand around my ear and whispered the following.
“Be kind.”
That was it.
She then withdrew. I looked at her and hugged her and then she drew me in closer.
“If you can’t do it. Just pretend you are me and you can do it and then one day you won’t need to pretend to be me.”
And then off she went looking for shells to collect. She had shared her secret. And life as a princess seems to involve a lot of shells. So she had collections to build. Her own unique flair.
However, I have been hovering over her words for days. Playing the moment over and over in my mind. That of all the secrets hers was this.
Be kind.
I’ve been taken aback, because I in my heart believe this to be the case. I have taught 100’s of students this. That if you give you shall receive. That being kind and coming from a place of service, gifts will be in return.
Maybe even the gift of bounce. The gift of twirling. The gift of being a princess. A state of unaltered bliss and purpose.
But yet…my reality speaks such a different narrative. A life of incredible obstacles and lows. Lightening striking twice tragedies when mathematical they should be impossible. I also see the world at large and all the suffering that exists. That living in service does not make you immune to intense human suffering. That you can’t choose where you are born and you can’t make “mean” people only get cancer.
I wanted to tell her – No princess, being kind will not allow you to walk without gravity. That gravity is very real. That just because you don’t have bad intensions doesn’t mean the person to your left doesn’t either. That this will not allow you to be a princess.
I was ready to shatter that castle.
But she was a step ahead of me of course. She told me how to achieve it. Just pretend you are me.
So I tried. For a day, I looked at everything as a 6 year old that bounces free of gravity. And thank you for Ever for this secret.
I hope you are okay that I shared it with others.
As you are right, being kind and giving pays off in miracles. I’ve had a few of those! Truly miracles. Things that weren’t supposed to happened happened. Next time I see you I will share with you these miracles that all came from your wise words, be kind.
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