Brave Zephyr

24 June 2012
Last week we went to Oxforshire and were playing in a playground. There were some older boys playing on the equipment, about 5 or 6 years old. They had obviously come together from school and were involved in a game together. As Zeph approached the equipment they shouted that he wasn't allowed to climb up. He ran back to me and asked whyand I responded that the playground is for all children to play in. He marched right back to them and said
"That's not true! That's not fair! I AM allowed!"
He began to climb up again and the ringleader protested that he had to be wearing school uniform tobe allowed. Zeph came back to me looking sad. Then suddenly an idea came accross his face. He ran to grab his much prized strawberries, he had just picked and ran off with fistfuls of them.
"Would you like a strawberry? Here you go.I'd like to make friends and play"
This touched me so deeply. He was able to resond to their meaness with his beautiful generosity of spirit. The boys continued to gang up against him, saying they'd already had strawberries, but I told Zephyr why I felt so proud of the way he had handled the sitiuation.