It’s been a while since my last post. I have been exploring and I seem to always find my way back to here.
A long time ago, this idea of “Try It On” came to me. I was doing an anti-bullying seminar for a local boy scout troop and I needed to come up with theme or at least a speaking point. This workshop was last minute and I had very little time to prepare. I needed to encourage the kids to try different ways of dealing with bullies. Most bullied kids are nice and they have been taught to be kind. The idea of them speaking back or speaking up, elevating their tone or their voices made most of them uncomfortable. I wanted to teach them how to respond BEFORE they got angry or became afraid. Since I consider myself and metaphor wizard, this visual came to me:
Imagine you are a young knight, about to begin your training in the King’s (or Queen’s) army. At some point you will need to be fitted for armor. Since you can’t just head over to the armor store and pick something up off the shelves, you would need to be measured and dry fitted to start. Once the metal smith shapes the pieces, you will need to try them on to see how they fit. Once they fit and they come together you will need to wear it and move with it to see how you function while wearing it. Once it fits, you will need to fight with it, run with it, ride with it, poop with it, eat with it, and celebrate with it. The only way to get it right is to make the little adjustments as you go. In similar fashion you will need to try on different words and behaviors that will feel uncomfortable at first. It will be through little adjustments as you go that you will eventually feel like the knight in his second skin. A warrior.
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