At First Blush...

Wisdom.

In the story of the Ugly Duckling, when did the Ugly Duckling stop feeling ugly?

ANSWER: When he realized he was a swan.

Each of us has something special, a swan of some sort, hidden inside somewhere.

But until we recognize that it’s there, what can we do but splash around, trading water?

There are things about ourselves that we need to get rid of;

there are things we need to change. But at the same time,

we do not need to be too desperate, too ruthless, too combative.

Along the way to usefulness and happiness, many of those things will change themselves,

and the others can be worked on as we go.

The first thing we need to do is recognize and trust our inner natures, and not lose sight of it.

For within the Ugly Duckling is the Swan,

inside the Bouncy Tigger is the rescuer who knows the way,

and in each of us is something special, and that we need to keep.