How the Dolphin Taught the Swan to Fly

REFLECTION

The most powerful stories are the ones we create ourselves because it is the truth we believe in.

In life, we create our narrative about who we are and what we are. More often than not, we validate our existence based on others. It should never be the case.

We are all born storytellers because each of us have a life worth living and learning from.

In real life, we should assess and reflect internally because the stories we tell ourselves impact our lives and how we see ourselves.

That's what's happening to Swanilda.  I was bewildered by what she just said.

"Look at me," she said as she looked at her reflection in the water. "I don't think my mom and dad will like me," Swanilda admitted. "I'm so ugly."

"That's nonsense, Swanilda," Wally assured her. "They will not only like you, but they'll love you as well."

"Wally, that doesn't count," Swanilda told him. "Of course, you'll say that. You're my friend."

"But you're not ugly," Wally reiterated to her. "You're just weird, cute, and cuddly."

"That's not exactly reassuring, you know," Swanilda retorted as she gazed at the fluffy grey figure reflected on the water. "That's not the same as being beautiful!" wailed the cygnet, "And you know the worst part of all this is, I'm a bird. I have wings, and I can't fly."

"Well, your fluffiness is okay, to be honest," Pete pointed. "We've gotten used to it. "Well...with the flying stuff, we've been through that for several weeks now, and you can't even fly without panicking," Pete chimed in while

Wally and I glared at Pete for saying that.

"You're not helping, Pete," Wally told Pete aside with greeted teeth.

I shook my head in disgust, with what Pete just said. "Don't mind, Pete," I told my best friend and gave Pete a disapproving look. "You were just joking, Pete, right?" I said in a menacing tone.

"Ummm...," Pete said and muttered some inaudible sounds. Splash! As tap my tail to hit the water, causing a small wave enough to splash over Pete.

"I was just joking," the now-wet Pipit retracted.

"Swanilda, who told you, you were ugly?" I asked her indignantly, turning my attention to my best friend.

"Well, no one did," Swanilda admitted, pointing out that - "But...but...Nobody said I was beautiful either."

"Do you always need others to validate your existence?" I asked her. "Look, Swanilda, you're not ugly," I assured her again.

"Dolph's right," seconded Wally. "Why get so worked up with something that hasn't happened yet."

"Shouldn't we be ready for what tomorrow brings?" Swanilda asked him. "I'm just expecting the worst so that when the day comes, and they get disappointed with me, at least I'm emotionally ready."

"Swanilda, that's not how it works," Wally the Whale said. "You must always expect the best."

"Isn't that too idealistic?" Swanilda asked. "Shouldn't we be realistic and be prepared for the hurt."

"You'll get hurt if that's what you expect," I told her. "We need to be optimistic so that when the bad things come, we know how to bounce back and not give up."

"Dolph's right, Swanilda," Wally seconded. "You need to fill yourself with positive thoughts. That way, you have trained your mind to always think of the silver lining in every situation."

"You need to have a fly-and-fight response," I added. "Fly and reach for your dreams, and when the going gets rough, you fight to survive and be victorious.

"Come on, cheer up. We're your friends. If it means something to you, we'll be here when you meet your parents to support you," I assured my best friend. "We'll make sure we're there for you, isn't that one thing that will reassure you that things will turn out alright when your parents meet you."

"That counts," Swanilda admitted, "But it doesn't solve my flying problem. I don't think my parents would just put me behind their backs like you and Wally's been doing for the past week. I don't want to burden them.

"Pete will help us regarding that," Dolph told her and then looked at Pete for assurance.

"I'll do my best regarding that flying stuff," Pete said and then volunteered. "I'll teach you again first thing in the morning."

And with that, Wally the Whale, Pete the Pipit, and I wasted no time teaching Swanilda how to fly.

NOTE:

You may skip this part and move to the next chapter if you just want to read the story :)

OF REFLECTIONS AND INTROSPECTIONS:

The narrative we tell ourselves is the one that will make us or break us if we don't choose the correct mindset for it.

There's a point in one's life, no matter how blessed we are, some of our insecurities blind us. We often undervalue ourselves and be left paralyzed by self-depreciation.

Often God sends us individuals to point out our strength and beauty, but we should learn to funnel what is true into what other people say.

If we let negativity, self-doubt, and self-incrimination bog down our self-esteem, we will never get out of the rut we made for ourselves. But if our narrative of ourselves is one of hope, trusting ourselves and the right people, we will fly and be undaunted.