Courage and Kindness

Last week, I was entranced by the recent re-telling of the famous story of Cinderella.  Although I knew how the story went and its magical happy ending, I was very inspired by the core message it presented to its audience.  In the story, Cinderella's mother teaches her from a very young age that in order to succeed in this world, she would have to develop and demonstrate courage and kindness. After watching the film and going for a walk afterwards I kept thinking about those two attributes and how powerful they were.  When you think about the word courage you immediately may think of a heroic instance, such as when a fireman who runs into a burning building to rescue people in the midst of all of that danger.  Courage can be defined by the situation in which one finds themselves in and taking a great leap of faith in knowing that one has to do what is inherently right, even if it means facing jeopardy and vulnerability.  We hear about the many people around the world daily who had to utilize courage in order to overcome their particular situation.  In thinking about the many examples of this, I was also reminded about the many instances of courageousness, such as when a person who is suffering physical and emotional abuse, that has to be fearless in walking away from someone that has hurt them.  Nobody ever wishes for anyone to be in such a dire situation that bravery is what will get them out.  Yet, we have a multitude of examples of these individuals who demonstrate to the world that things can be better and that nobody deserves to live a life that is full of pain.  In contrast to this, I then thought about the second pivotal word in this message and that was to be kind.  For this, I have to agree with how it was showcased in the story, as the behavior would have been learned by lessons that someone taught us at a young age.  I can recall many multiple instances when my grandmother showed me that kindness was an inherent trait that she had and it became a defining attribute of her legacy on this earth.  My other example has also been my mother, who through her own works and contributions has demonstrated that what she learned from her mother, also lives on in her and now with her children.  When I was growing up we did not have much, however, I can recall my grandmother making enough food to feed us and anyone else that may have shown up to our home on any particular day.  The kitchen like in most households, was where the centralized activities of our family were and having pots and pans filled with basic and delicious Mexican traditional recipes was something I took for granted.  I don't ever recall that any of the dishes that were prepared for us, came from some cookbook or handwritten recipe, as they were all crafted from teachings and memories handed down over generations.  Although we had many lessons on giving to others that were less fortunate, food was at the top of the list in providing a meal to someone that may not have had enough to eat.  I then had a flash back to the film when Cinderella is given scraps to eat and when she goes to her room she notices the mice in the room looking at her, she then overturns a cup on the floor, places a napkin over it to make it look like a mini dining table and serves the mice a small meal from her scraps.  I smiled from ear to ear when I saw this, as I knew exactly this type of kindness.  In our world today we have many examples that are not ideal in showcasing the good in humanity.  We constantly get a barrage of stories fed to us through the media that demonstrate how negative things can be. This is why I believe that we overturn that tide and make contributions that may be insignificant to others, but monumental to those that receive them.  Regardless of what the world may say, I challenge all of you to take moments through out your day to show what kindness is through your actions and words.  In addition, when presented with the opportunity also demonstrate your courageous side you have within, as we search for new heroes in our everyday stories and you may be the star of the next tale to be told.