Thursday, February 23, 2012

TELL THEM.




Walking out of one appointment and heading to another yesterday morning, feeling a little blue, I saw a little girl, about 6 years old, walking with what may have been her grandmother. She had her hair plait in tiny cornrows, and a light green gingham print summer dress, and sandals. Dark Chocolate skin and slender little legs. None of which caught my eyes as much as the realization of what she was...a bud. A diamond in the rough. Innocent. A promise..A legacy in the making......BEAUTY! To me she was the epitome of pretty! Without even remembering how she looks....that wasnt what I saw....

 As I approached my car, I stopped and wiggled my fingers at her and smiled. She wiggled hers back with a small questioning smile ( like who is this lady? I don't think I know her)

 When she was within air shot I said: 'Good Morning Pretty Girl!' That Happy-to-see-you  tone evident in my speech.
She replied Good Morning and kept walking with her guardian.
I opened my car door  and put my purse on the seat as I always do before I get in.
But she slowly turned around and looked thoughtfully a me with her hands in her 'kimber.' ( akimbo)

"WHY YOU CALL ME PRETTY?!? "  She demanded.

and with a bittersweet knowing-ness,I said: "BECAUSE YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!"

Her grandmother chuckled proudly and I waved them goodbye ( late for my workshop already)

As I plugged my iPod into the audio jack...and hit shuffle... here came the song "Just the Way you Are". by Bruno Mars. TALK ABOUT THE UNIVERSE AND ITS DRAMATIC EFFECTS!!!!!

Here are the beginning  lyrics for those who dont know it.


Oh, her eyes, her eyes
Make the stars look like they're not shinin'
Her hair, her hair
Falls perfectly without her trying
She's so beautiful
And I tell her everyday (yeahh)

I know, I know
When I compliment her she won't believe me
And it's so, it's so
Sad to think that she don't see what I see
But every time she asks me "Do I look okay? "
I say

[Chorus:]
When I see your face (face face...)
There's not a thing that I would change
'Cause you're amazing (amazing)
Just the way you are (are)
And when you smile (smile)
The whole world stops and stares for a while
'Cause girl you're amazing (amazing)
Just the way you are (are)


I thought that was (SO AMAZING) No pun intended. That that song would play first on my shuffle.

I thought of how we all need to hear those words. I thought of what else she may have been called and believed already. I thought about how she didnt fit what t.v and music videos and boys we went to school with thought of as 'pretty".
 I thought of how adamant she was about knowing my "reason" for calling her pretty.

 I cried...tears of joy,...tears of sorrow.Knowing she was just one. But what about the others.
I cried because I had a feeling no one would tell her how much she was worth. I was afraid that life would tell her lies..like it had me. 

I cried because I knew that I now had a responsibilty to tell my daughter everyday. I knew I had a  responsibility to tell all that I could..those simple words that could change a life if told before its too late...before the wrong person realizes the power of those words and uses them to ill effect.....


I hope you hear me.....




TELL THEM. 

2 comments:

  1. You're absolutely right Dale! Our kids need to know...especially the princesses in our communities. As, I was watching the festivities surrounding the visit of Prince Harry to our shores, this echoed true. There was commentary of one little girl's encounter with the Prince. She told the reporter that she would not wash her had because it had been shook by the prince. Now this can be taken from various perspectives...one can interpret this to mean that she felt extra special, and "chosen"that the Prince had shaken her hand out of so many that could have experienced this...star struck, I guess. I on the other hand was kind of appalled that she thought that "this" was one of the best things that happened to her. I wondered then about how she saw herself and if she realized that she and the other girls she played and interacted with were everyday princesses and equally worth swooning over!

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  2. I couldnt have said it better Joretta!!!!!!!

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