Obstacles

Thoughts on obstacles and acceptance. . . .

Conquering Challenges

“Take the reins and start steering your life!”

Be yourself. Let others be themselves, and do not let anyone stand in the way of your journey. Accepting yourself for who you are, and welcoming others for who they are, is integral in overcoming the obstacles that are launched into your path. Self consciousness and judgment are challenges that most everyone confronts. While attempting to learn how to dance, Elephant discourages himself by convincing his mind that he will not succeed. Likewise, a certain dog in Go Dog Go implies that he judges

his friend's self expression. Learning to take the wheel and lead yourself into a future where you let people be THEMSELVES, and let yourself be YOU is a tremendous obstacle

that must be overcome by celebrating diversity and character.

One of my favorite picture books is Elephant and Piggie by Mo Williams. In this collection of stories, the main characters, Elephant and Piggie, face many adversities and obstacles that eventually, they learn to overcome. Specifically, the short story Elephants Can’t Dance concentrates on self consciousness and body image. In this story, Elephant attempts to learn how to dance because his best friend Piggie adores danc

ing. He struggles, aspires, and toils. No matter what he does, Elephant can not quite get the jist of it. Disparagingly, Elephant, feeling discouraged by his lack of skill, surrenders and refrains from trying. He believes he can not dance because he is an elephant, and elephants can't dance! Assuming that because of his species he can not succeed, Elephant refrains from pursuing success and overcoming the difficult. Thankfully, Piggie ends up assisting him, telling Elephant that not only pigs can dance, everybody can dance! She encourages him to dance because it is enjoyable, not because he is fantastic at it. When Elephant finally decides to give dancing a try, he overco

mes a huge obstacle: self consciousness.

The children’s book Go Dog Go by P.D Eastman is another of my favorite stories. Though the obstacles in this book may not be as apparent as in Elephant and Piggie, numerous themes of overcoming obstacles are present, being brought to light by a specific dog who seems to judge his friends’ self expression through hats. At the beginning of this wonderful story, this dog’s friend inquires if he likes her hat. Matter of factly, he announces NO with very obvious distaste. Overall, this dog continues to judge his friends' self expression instead of appreciating it, culminating in the dog’s realiza

tion, at the end of the story, that he is being extremely judgmental of his friend, and the next time she asks,“Do you like my hat?” he affirms that he very much likes her hat, which represents the overcoming of his judgmental ways toward self expression. Judgment can be an immensely difficult obstacle to conquer, but this dog succeeds in the end.

Recognizing people's individuality as well as your own may be exceedingly difficult, but acknowledging self expression is crucial. Do not let other people drive your life in

reverse, and definitely do not steer other people's lives. You will be strong enough if y

ou are just you. Other people will be good enough even if they don't agree with you.

So let yourself succeed and let yourself learn. Let others prosper and let them u

nderstand. Untie the ropes that bind you to your self consciousness and judgment. Take the reins to your life in your own hands, and finally run wild