Keep Waddling

It was show day at the dance studio. Soft lights glowed above the small stage, and happy voices floated through the room. Sophia and her brother, Ethan, waited behind the curtain in their penguin costumes: soft black vests, tiny white bellies, and little orange beaks that bobbed when they moved their heads. Sophia pressed her flippers together. Her tummy fluttered with nerves.

"I am so nervous," Sofia said.

She peeked out at the rows of people. So many faces, so many eyes. Her heart fluttered with nerves, too. Ethan saw it on her face.

"I feel nervous, too. Everyone feels this way right before a show," Ethan said.

The thought made Sophia feel a little better. She wasn't the only one with fluttery nerves. She caught her reflection in a mirror, her costume sparkling under the stage lights. She gave a tiny gasp.

"What if I mess up in front of everyone?" Sofia said.

Their classmate, Harper, couldn't get the words out fast enough.

"My mommy says mistakes are just practice in disguise," Harper said.

The thought warmed her. Harper wasn't scared to make mistakes, and that helped Sophia's fluttery nerves feel a little steadier. Ethan's head started buzzing again, the inward kind, busy and loud inside his head. He remembered what Miss Marsha had told them during costume week. When your nerves get loud, look outward. Let the lights, your friends, or the music help you find your inward calm. Ethan imagined Miss Marsha counting in class. One, two, three, four. Let your feet follow the count. The little penguin dancers waddled to their markers. They could feel the lights warming the stage.

"X marks the spot. Here we go," Sofia said.

Onstage, the three friends spotted each other. The familiar faces and warm smiles made them all feel calmer. Remember, whatever happens, just keep moving. The curtain began to lift. Sophia took a quiet breath. She remembered to look outward: the warm lights, their friends waddling beside her, and the happy audience, there to smile, not to judge. Sophia listened closely for the music. As the music began, she started counting, too, and it helped her remember what to do. Sophia took one tiny penguin step, then another. When she listened closer, she felt the music in her body, just like she did in class, and her feet knew what to do all on their own. The music carried her forward. We're doing it! Easy cheesy, lemon squeezy. Just keep moving. This is kind of fun. The audience is smiling. Every tiny step felt braver than the one before. Sophia's face glowed with joy, the same joy she felt for herself in class and now shared with the audience. By the end of the dance, Sophia's fluttery feelings were gone. The little penguin dancers realized that bravery isn't being perfect. Bravery is showing up and dancing until the very end, even if you wobble or waddle along the way.