The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXXI

Lyra Dvorin
Alice Lucey, Teacher
The Park School, Brookline, MA
It was my first day at a new camp, and I was terrified.
I glanced down at my schedule, making sure I was in the right place. 1:00 --
Junior Musical. The clock on the theater wall read 12:57.
A girl sat down next to me, smiling brightly. She kept her eyes locked on the
stage, where the adults stood. The girl didn’t look one bit nervous. I, on the
other hand, was shaking with fear.
Finally, the theater fell silent at the director’s signal.
“My name is Mary,” she began, “and I have exciting news: the musical we are
performing is The Lion King!”
“Who wants to go first?”
My heartbeat quickened. Several hands shot into the air, and Mary called a
name: Ingrid.
Ingrid walked onto the stage and began her monologue. I wasn’t paying
attention. I was lost in the battle being fought inside my head.
I didn’t have to go through with this. At this camp, we chose what classes we
would take. I had chosen this one, but the camp director said that until Friday
we could switch what we were taking. I didn’t have to be in the Junior Musical.
I didn’t have to audition.
Ingrid then began to sing, interrupting my thoughts. Her voice echoed
through the theater, incredibly beautiful.
Why perform in front of all these people, when the worst of them was
probably a better singer than me?
I had never been in a play before, but I had wanted to be in one for a very
long time. At that moment, staring up at the girl on stage, I didn’t want to act
anymore. All I wanted to do was run from the theater, because I thought I
wasn’t good enough. Because I thought I didn’t have enough courage.
Some people think that an act of courage always has to be enormous like
saving a life. Others say having courage is standing up for someone else. Yes,
these are examples of courage, but they are not the only ones.
An overlooked example of courage is believing in yourself and going forward
with something, even when you know that you might not be the best.
“An overlooked
example of courage
is believing in
yourself and going
forward with
something, even
when you know
that you might
not be the best.”
Courage is not being unafraid. Courage is when you let your fear power you,
not ruin you. When you have courage, you always have a choice. A choice to
do the easy thing or the courageous thing.
I had always told myself that I didn’t need to be the best, I just didn’t want to
be the worst. During these auditions, however, something clicked in my brain.
I realized that someone always has to be the worst. What’s important is to have
the courage to try. At that moment, I realized that I had the chance to have
that courage, even though what I wanted most was to turn away.
I had to try. Even if I was the worst, it didn’t really matter, did it?
Without courage, people would not risk things for each other. Without
courage, many more people would be sad and lonely. Without courage, the
world would be a lot darker. Without courage, I never would have raised my
hand to go next in that audition.
“Who wants to go next?”
Shaking slightly, I raised my hand.
Mary picked me. My heart raced. I stumbled up to the stage. My legs felt as if
they were made of lead. My mouth was clamped shut.
Then a voice in my head spoke,“You can do this, Lyra.”
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and began my monologue.
I finally understood Amanda Gorman’s words when I wrote this essay. She
meant that there is always a way to make a difference, if only we have the
courage to see what needs to be done and do it.
I didn’t get a single line in The Lion King. My audition may have been horrible.
But I did it. I made the decision to go forward, to have courage. I didn’t regret
it. I don’t think I ever will regret having courage.
The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond
Volume XXXI
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