The Leader in the Pink, Fuzzy Coat
A little girl sits on the side of the playground, kicking the rocks around, hearing the sound of her sneakers scrape the rocks against the concrete. Her hands smell of dirt, and she spends her recesses routinely sitting and waiting for an angel. That angel isn’t a true descendent from heaven, nor Superman bringing joy to this young soul. The unlikely hero is another girl.
This school, like many all around, has outcasts, even in the ripe age of second grade. Those who have attended grade school can attest. This young girl, sad and tired from being left alone, knows the frustrations of having no friends and being bullied for her glittery sneakers that she loves. However, it is within the kindness and altruism of another brave pupil that her isolation will be broken.
“I like your shoes. They sparkle!” says the kind hearted girl, decked with heart pattern tights and a pink fuzzy coat, “They are way cooler than mine.” The girl looks up with surprise and curiosity in her eyes. The girl hesitantly replies, “T...Thank you.” With that, a smile. After the smile, a hand quickly juts out to bring the sitting girl to her feet. The daring and charismatic soul speaks without skipping a beat, introducing herself, and happily chatting on and on. The girl, who once only knew the grey concrete as her friend, now giggled with gratefulness. From then on, that girl no longer had to be worrisome of being alone everyday; she had a leader that saved her.
While a story like this isn't uncommon, it can’t be considered common either. Children follow the pack quite often, taking note of others in their actions. But, that doesn’t mean they are stuck in the current; they could branch off if they wish. Exactly what the girl in the pink, fuzzy coat dared to fulfill.
Simply enough, with minor educational input and tweaking, the skill of being a leader is born into us. When opportunities arise for a leader to make a move or take a stand, she doesn't pull out their list of how-tos and notes; she acts merely of instinct. And there isn’t even an age restriction on this instinct, for what instinct has such? Kids are leaders when they tell everyone the rules of Hide and Seek Tag. Teenagers are leaders when they help a new student find a class. Adults are leaders when they help children cross the street. Then the cycle begins again. With learned behaviors from watching other leaders is the ability to command invoked in us.
Beneath the surface of this spunky and rosey little girl, is a guiding hand. This isn’t the first ever guiding hand, however. This helpful attitude stems from not only instinct and observed behaviors, but of the actions of those from the past. Presidents, war leaders, revolutionaries, feminists, activists (the list continues), are all leaders, and all of those are evident in the little girl picking up her newfound friend from the side of the park. Beneath her coat is every extraordinary leader to ever take a stand.
Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader who instilled inspiration, causing behaviors out of selflessness. He wasn’t a high figure in society when he began his fight, yet rather an ordinary man wishing for equality. One of King’s strongest reflections of his valiant leadership was his Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted 381 days and ultimately resulted in large groups of inspired African Americans resisting to settle for the injustice they faced. King had done the unimaginable, using his determination to considerably diminish racism. He guided others to do the undone, and such an impact can be seen in just an elementary school playground.
Undoubtedly, taking heed of leaders around us and those of the past will help us with becoming a successful leader ourselves. Yet within us already lives the fire, ready to be sparked in any given moment. However old or scraped together the wood may be, it still will burn. Unlike the leaders named before, there is no need to hold a name of authority or fame to make an impact. Consider you can simply be a girl in a pink, fuzzy coat.
11.4.19
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