Happy Wednesday, folks.
My niece, Elle, is the fiercest gal – pound-for-pound – that I know.
She is smart, confident, sassy, creative, kind, and beautiful.
She tells jokes that are funny. She recites books that have been read to her. She paddleboards, and draws, and changes outfits three times a day. She uses her imagination.
Hands on hips.
Thousands of facial expressions.
Vocabulary that makes me laugh out loud.
Just a few weeks ago she effortlessly explained that worms contain jellytoxin, and cannot drown in their wormholes despite the rain because they can breath in air and water, and that African rhinos and African oxpeckers share a symbiotic relationship.
She’s four.
Her style is a mix of Punky Brewster and Audrey Hepburn. She loves the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bob Marley. She doesn’t fret when her hair spills into her face – she just pushes it to the side, if she feels like it, with her slender fingers.
I am in awe of her.
Of the way that she carries herself, and trusts her gut. Of how she authentically loves other people.
Of how she loves herself.
When I look at Elle, I oftentimes think of this incredible woman that I met this past year.
Alison knocks my socks off every time our paths cross. When I think of her, many things come to mind – her independent spirit, her smarts, her sharp sense of humor.
But she said something to me once that stopped me in my tracks.
I complimented her on a scarf she was wearing. I said, “Alison, that scarf looks incredible on you!” And she said, “Thank you for saying so. It does, doesn’t it?” as she admired how it cascaded around her own neck.
And I fell in love with her.
She gracefully accepted my compliment, while she gave credit where credit was due. She gave herself a pat on the back.
Elle innately reacts the same way to compliments as Alison does. She is always appreciative of my comment, but never actually needs me to tell her that it’s true – because she already knows it. She knows that she is smart. And pretty. And funny. And kind. She knows her cardigan-style Ugg boots look amazing with her striped stockings and tunic. Because she put that outfit together, looked in her mirror, and gave herself a big ‘ol nod.
She accepts the comment with humility. And smiles inwardly at herself with gusto.
She is fierce.
My sister-in-law told me that Elle’s teacher watched her at a table of her classmates. Elle was drawing away when the little girl next to her started asking her why she was scribbling and telling her that she drew like her two-year-old sister. Elle’s teacher looked on to see what would happen. Elle ignored her, and continued to draw. The little girl persisted. And Elle continued to disregard her. By the third or fourth time, however, Elle had heard enough. She stopped drawing, looked into the little girls eyes, and said, “I’m not scribbling. I’m drawing my feelings. This is how I feel!” Her classmate surrendered, and Elle finished her picture.
I told my sister-in-law that if that had been me, I would have been huddled in a corner crying for the rest of the day. But my niece is commanding and confident. She feels strongly about herself.
She is rad.
My Juicy Glad-I-Caught-That: Though she be but little, she is fierce! ~William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
So today, I hope you will go forth in your life with moxy. When someone pays you a compliment, say thank you, and know it to be true. Because you are funny and smart and inspiring.
See you on the flip-side.
In love,
Noelle
xoxox