The Ugly Duckling

....Then he felt quite ashamed, and hid his head under his wing; for he did not know what to do, he was so happy, and yet not at all proud. He had been persecuted and despised for his ugliness, and now he heard them say he was the most beautiful of all the birds. Even the elder-tree bent down its bows into the water before him, and the sun shone warm and bright. He would never become vain or conceited, and would always remember how it felt to be despised and teased, and he was very sorry for all the creatures who are so treated merely because they are different from those around them. Then he rustled his feathers, curved his slender neck, and cried joyfully, from the depths of his heart.
I have a similar story to tell. My younger twin was born with dislocated hips and, as a result, spent months in frames and double nappies and many days attending hospital visits. As a toddler, she was clumsy and would constantly trip over her own feet. We used to try to make light of the situation but for Leo it was no laughing matter.
Her twin had asked at the age of three to go to ballet classes but not Leo. She would sit in the corner and watch her sister demonstrate her natural ability at the barre. She rarely spoke and had a sadness in her eyes. We asked the ballet mistress if she could help in any way, maybe deportment classes would help. Leo was duly taken along to the Saturday morning class along with her sister .
From that very first class onwards,there was no looking back. Within a month or so, she grew to love her baby class and could never wait for Saturday mornings to come. She was still capable of constantly falling over her own feet but could now laugh about it.She went from strength to strength .Her love of ballet was obvious for all to see.
I will always remember Lisey,her older twin, rushing home from school one day at around six or seven years of age, brandishing a piece of paper. 'Look mummy, I got a star for my story today' she cried. On reading the contents of the piece of paper, I found myself developing a lump in my throat. She had rewritten the story of the Ugly Duckling and Leo was the main character! She was our very own 'Ugly Duckling' turned into a swan.
Hard to believe that this once clumsy toddler went on to be a double English Champion around the age of fifteen, won several unconditional scholarships to theatre and ballet schools alike at sixteen, graduated with an Hons. degree in dance at the tender age of eighteen and is now our very own swan, gracing the many stages she performs on.
Even nicer, Eli , despite her own love of dance , has always been there for Leo , supporting her and praising her in every way possible. She doesn't have an ounce of jealousy in her body, only the greatest admiration for her little sis.
"Being born in a duck yard does not matter, if only you are hatched from a swan's egg."
Hans Christian Anderson's 'The Ugly Duckling'
We had to visit our local farm shop today for supplies.The various birds in and around the millpond were very obliging when it came to being photogenic.