A "Black Swan Event" is when the unexpected occurs, causing a huge mindshift and change in how the world works. People never imagined that Black Swans existed, until the discovery of the first Black Swan... (as per book "The Black Swan", by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, 2007, that sold over 3 million copies)

Is a perception change the next Black Swan Event? Consider that by changing perception we might change the world. Look at everyday things from different angles. Find beauty in the unexpected...
Change our thinking, change our actions, change our world!

See that all people are part of God's puzzle and have something to give. Black swans do exist. The ugly duckling was actually a swan who needed to discover himself and where he fitted and be who he was meant to be. To the last, the lost and the least, you are beautiful as you are.
May all who visit this page feel God's touch and experience His blessing...

Tuesday 19 February 2013

Bringing Potential to Light

A fictional story: Nellie is in the grade four class at school. She is nine years old. Each morning she walks quietly in to the class room, puts her bag in the locker, and then sits at her desk, alone. Sally has never seen her smile. She once asked Sally if she could play with her group, but Sally's friends loudly said, go away, and then giggled loudly as Nellie slowly plodded on, her shoulders slightly bowed as if carrying an enormous weight. Sally thought she might have cried, but she was not sure. Children don't often see Nellie give much reaction, except for a slight narrowing of her eyes when she is told to leave, and her jaw muscles tighten.

Nellie drifts through the school year, and is mostly ignored by her teacher. Sally saw a teacher yelling at her when she dropped the paint all over the floor, and she was not sure why the teacher thought it was on purpose, as she saw the startled look on Nellie's face, until her eyes glazed over again. Nellie spent her playtime that day hunched over scrubbing the floor until it shone.

Nellie finds solace in books. She reads voraciously. She especially loves any stories related to jungles or dragons or medieval castles and she hopes to become an author someday.

Near the end of the year, the teacher asks each child in the class to write an essay. Most of the children groan when they hear the assignment and seem to think the task is a joke, and the teacher raps on the desk a few times to get everyone's attention, and then they begin. It is a timed exercise, and the children write any creative story that comes to mind.

A few children around the class smirk, and the teacher walks around and motions for them to begin. Sally wonders what she is going to write about. It is not an easy task! She glances over and sees Nellie writing furiously. Her head is down, hair splayed and falling over her arm, which is hugging the page.

When the time is up, Sally resignedly hands in her essay, and inwardly kicks herself when she thinks about what she could have written. She was halfway when she thought of a better storyline, but it was too late to go back to the start and begin again.

The next day the teacher calls Nellie's name. Sally wonders why the teacher is grinning so widely. She hands Nellie her essay and says with a gush, that was the best essay I have ever read. Where did you learn to write like that? Sally is amazed when she sees a flood of colour flush Nellie's face and a gentle smile embraces her eyes and her mouth. I love to write, she whispers. Keep up the good work, the teacher booms, still grinning.

Nellie's essay is passed around the class and children's eyes light up as they read it. Wow, how did you think of this? I love the story!

Not everyone is happy for Nellie, as Sally notices a group of three looking daggers in her direction, and when they receive her paper they motion as if to tear it up, and then pass it on quickly without glancing at it. Nellie doesn't notice. She has finally made some connection with the class, and Sally sees her playing with a few new friends in the days to come. Sigh, Sally wishes her group of friends had let Nellie join in when she had asked. She must be one of the most popular girls in class now! And she even looks different with that impish smile of hers and melodic giggle.

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