How Clumsy Bubbles turned into a figure-skating penguin
Once upon a time, in the kingdom of ice and snow, there was a clumsy penguin named Bubbles. Bubbles was always envious of the other penguins who gracefully slid and waddled across the ice. To effortlessly catch fish and look elegant and sophisticated at the same time seemed to come naturally to them.
Bubbles on the other hand struggled with all of it. Just the mere try to move more gracefully turned into a disaster, and he looked more clumsy than ever.
One day, Bubbles was just about to give up on the idea of becoming a sophisticated penguin, he witnessed a little penguin girl dancing in skates on the ice. Easily and carefree, she did little stylish jumps and spins, obviously enjoying herself to the fullest while unknowingly giving the performance of her lifetime.
At that very moment, Bubbles decided: He wanted to be just as light-hearted and childlike and at the same time as elegant as the little penguin girl.
The next day, Bubbles woke up early and stretched his flippers, ready to practice his moves. He started with a simple turn, but quickly found himself stumbling and falling onto his belly.
Unflinchingly, Bubbles got up to try once more, this time an even fancier spin. But luck wasn’t on his side as he ended up spinning out of control and landing face-first in a snowdrift. From a distance, Bubbles could hear someone giggling. His attempts to become a graceful figure skater obviously didn’t remain unnoticed, as there was a small group of young penguins gathering at the edge of the lake, seemingly enjoying his desperate practice.
“Nothing funny here to see. Just waddle on”. Bubbles turned, to see the owner of this sweet, but somehow strict little voice, and recognized the little figure skater girl who addressed him now directly. “And you, go on. And remember: Practice is key. Rome wasn’t built in one day, either.” The chattering little group of penguins had left by now and Bubbles was alone with the graceful figure skater who seemed to have made it her mission to look after him.
A little bit scared of the strictness in her voice that expected no resistance, he simply gave in and followed her instructions. He watched her closely and tried to mimic her movements.
The days went by, but no matter how hard Bubbles tried, he just couldn’t seem to get a hang of it. His clumsiness never quite left. If anything, it even got worse. He would stumble on patches of ice, trip over his own flippers, and even fall over when standing completely still.
As time passed, the teasing and the giggling stopped. Bubbles’ fellow penguins saw how hard he worked to fulfill his dream of becoming a figure skater. And despite all the embarrassing moments, they started respecting him for his perseverance and determination.
As the birdwatching season approached, more people found their way into this remote part of the world. One day, a group of tourists arrived at the colony, eager to see the enchanting little creatures. As they watched the colony from a distance, Bubbles suddenly lost his balance and tumbled head over flippers, sliding down an ice slope and knocking over a snowman.
After a moment of silence that seemed to be like a lifetime, the tourists burst into laughter of joy. Bubbles looked up, confused, but then he realized that his clumsy tumble had made everyone laugh. And it wasn’t that kind of laughter that made him feel bad and humiliated. It was laughter full of joy and delight. It was as if his clumsiness had finally become endearing.
And so, from that day on, Bubbles no longer tried to be graceful. He kept practicing with his sweet graceful trainer, whose name was Lu, by the way, and together they created quite a unique show, Bubbles being his clumsy, clown-like self and soon to be known worldwide as the “funny penguin”, and Lu the elegant ice princess who hovered over the frozen landscape like a dancing fairy.
Although Bubbles was finally content with himself and embraced his limitations and unique style, he was still unaware of the impact he had on others. His special gift to make his audience laugh had healing powers. All the worries and concerns seemed to become pointless while watching the clumsy little penguin and his silly antics. The only thing that mattered was the here and now!
Just imagine what would have happened if Bubbles had given up on himself and instead of sharing his special gift would have remained in the shadows, afraid to be seen?! The life of so many people and penguins would have been quite different, and not for the better, I bet!
The moral of the story is that sometimes our weaknesses can become our greatest strengths, so we might as well embrace them instead of fighting them. And while life might not turn out the way we hoped for, there is always something to learn. Therefore, it is worth being patient, holding on, and trying just one more time. The result might be different, but by no means less beautiful than expected.
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Originally published at https://being-amazed.com on March 31, 2023.
