I am thankful for Roald Dahl’s creative writings. His imagination and storytelling exceed many expectations. Despite countless difficulties in his life, he still embraced a childlike ideal for best actions and behaviors. What is a common denominator among a lot of his main characters? Gentleness. Charlie. Matilda. Sophie. Life’s challenges and difficulties did not break them down. They maintained their personal integrity and gentle features.
Gentleness is a divine trait; nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing is so gentle as real strength.
-Ralph W. Sockman
One of my favorite books growing up was The BFG. I will share a part of one of my more intense dreams from this past week. I was standing on a shoreline with a small group of people. There were about ten of us mulling around. The water was dark and opaque, so we could not see beyond the surface. To our collective surprise, a massive hand and arm began to rise up from the water. Blindly, it started to reach for one of the closest people. We all moved back a few paces as we tried to figure out what was going on and what this thing was. Moments later, the head, neck, and shoulders of a giant emerged from beneath the watery surface. Looking at all of us slowly, the giant again reached out and grabbed one of the closest people. In stereotypical fashion, the giant began to move this person towards his mouth. I saw how easily he could take a bite, and then he surprised me further by showing how he could even swallow the person whole if he wanted to. To say I was horrified by what I was witnessing is an understatement. However, in another brief moment, he simply pulled the person out of his mouth, placing them safely on the ground. This giant was trolling me and my poor assumption! I expected this large being to be aggressive, hostile, and violent. Yet, who on the shore behaved gently and wisely?
Gentleness corrects whatever is offensive in our manner.
-Hugh Blair
Stop and listen more. Check your assumptions at the door, and be curious more. We do not know what awaits beyond the shore. There is already plenty of lore. Yet, we can still proceed gently to see what all is in store, and we can work on being better than before.
When we work from a place… that says, ‘I’m enough’, then we stop screaming and start listening, we’re kinder and gentler to the people around us, and we’re kinder and gentler to ourselves.
-Brené Brown
Gentleness can be a great strength, and quiet action can sometimes speak as powerfully amid the noise as the loudest voice.
-Sarah Corbett
Go forth in life, stand tall, and be a gentle giant.
Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell.