During COVID, Anaiya’s teacher has asked that parents record themselves reading a book aloud as a mystery reader to the class. I attempted to do this a few times by holding a book up to a camera while reading and keeping all the right things in view — and I just didn’t like the experience.
So at around 11pm last night I had an idea. To take a parable I love, and one I often tell the kids before they go to bed; and fuse that with my business presentation style and format.
This is the result. The story is an adaptation and twist on a very popular parable called “The Flight of the Hummingbird”. I made some twists to incorporate animals our kids like, extend the arc a little bit, and incorporate more repetition to help with reinforcement.
#iamgrateful and #iamthankful that I did this and that I didn’t think twice about it. The story changes every time I tell it; and as I hear it told back to me there are some points I want to incorporate as I tell this going forward (the idea of “we”, the idea that trying can outweigh and outrank being large or loud or prominent). But for now, it works.
If you have kids, would love your feedback. If you know kids, please share. But given our current times and how handcuffed and how powerless we may feel in so many different environments — there’s power in this hummingbird. I’m finding power in this hummingbird every single day.
I’m also happy to leave this for Anaiya and Jaanu as my Father’s Day gift to them. It would have been easy for me to say I didn’t have the time and making this happen was something I couldn’t do.
But I thought of the hummingbird, and I simply tried my best.
Suneet Bhatt 