Hello I’m Vaaruni Nayak, a Young Happy Minds Ambassador and a Kung Fu Panda fanatic! I want to share a few cookies of wisdom I salvaged after watching the trilogy! P.S. (Don’t tell Monkey!)
Perched on my bed with a bag of delicious lightly salted Doritos and a bowl of hot salsa, I reached out for the mouse and with a quick click here and there, the much-awaited movie finally came on. I simply cannot help but do a rerun of the Kung Fu Panda series once in awhile – the heart-warmingly comical characters along with the wise teaching and inspirational message make a cocktail much tastier than any Pina Colada or Mojito in the world. But underneath all the laughter, tension and happiness, it also manages to stir something deep within me: hope, perseverance and the courage to dream big. If a fat panda who seemed to be destined to sell noodles in a small joint can dream and master the tough art of Kung Fu by becoming the dragon warrior, why can’t we do the same? Obviously, not everyone dreams of learning to kick-butt and then wipe crime from the face of the city, but no matter what the dream, it is the thought that counts… right?
Wrong. It is true that the first step to success is to dream big but one can only walk by moving two feet in harmony and without the second step, the first is meaningless. The bowl of salsa had emptied again and so, I raced to the kitchen, refilled it while doing an Olympic style balancing gymnast act to hold the fridge door open and then Usain Bolt-ed back to my room so as not to miss THE scene. I was just in time. The dragon scroll skimmed the face of the clear water, emitting a ripple in its surface. As Master Shifu handed it to Po, his chubby hands opened them carefully while my mouth gaped for the hundredth time, unrolling it only to find… lo and behold, a page full of EMPTINESS! The initial shock gave way to realisation of a teaching I have never forgotten – Self-belief is the key to limitless power. The glossy golden surface of that scroll taught me a lesson that is essential for success, in any venture that we may embark upon in the quintessence of the universe. That day I learnt that the second step of the long journey is self-belief. It is only special, if you see it to be, my friend. If one has belief in one’s own abilities and big dreams in one’s eyes, they hold the baton of dedication and perseverance tight in their hands and “yesterday was history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift.” So make the most of this gift because in a matter of 1440 minutes, it will be gone… But life is so, that you are given one more chance to dream big, believe and achieve with the breaking of a new dawn.
And on that note, I shall go nosh on some dumplings.