“Mommy, my teacher asked me if I would like to play the role of Juliet in the school play. She said I had the perfect face and voice for the part.”
The little girl’s mom finished drying off a dinner plate, placed it in the cub bard and turned to her daughter. “Well, what did you say, Jodie?”
“I said thank you but I will need to talk to my mom tonight. My teacher said OK, talk to your mom and let me know tomorrow.”
The mother, reaching for another plate, asked, “why do you need to talk to me about playing Juliet in the play?” The little girl’s eyes widened and the mother could see tears welling up inside. She knew immediately what the problem was. She put down the plate she was cleaning, took her daughter’s hand and together they walked to the kitchen table and sat down. The mother looked her little girl in the eyes and began to speak.
“Every human being is born with two wolves inside their body. One is a dark, negative, angry wolf, filled with fear. The other is a bright, positive, joyful wolf, filled with courage. Only one wolf can survive inside the body. This means one must die. Both wolves constantly fight with one another inside our bodies. They fight for their lives every day until only one survives. Do you know which one survives?”
The little girl, with tears streaming down her cheeks, sniffled, looked up at her mom and said. “I hope the wolf filled with courage is the one who survives.”
The mother eyed her little girl kindly and said. “The one who survives is the one who you feed the most. If you want the courageous wolf to survive inside you, you must feed it more than the fearful wolf.”
The little girl smiled and stood up. “I’m going to tell my teacher yes first thing tomorrow.” The mother smiled back. “Wonderful Jodie, now go upstairs and brush your teeth.”
The very next day little Jodie Foster skipped up to her teacher’s desk, and with a broad smile said to her teacher, “I spoke to my mom last night and the answer is yes!”
About Thomas C. Corley
What a lovely little story and it really resonated with me.