I did something crazy today. First off, I jumped in a pool out of the blue to no other song than “I Want Crazy.” But I did something crazier. There was a bumblebee that happened to have fallen in the pool too. As I watched him struggle helplessly, all I could think to do was rescue him. I grabbed a leaf, helped him upon, and set him on the fringe of the pool. For a moment, he stuttered and shook, but finally took flight again.

People generally hate bees. It takes a lot to take on something at least a hundred times your size; it takes a lot to decide to be a savior versus a hater too though. We’ve all been the bad guy once in our lives. We’ve been hated for what we look like, who we associate with, the things we defended, and what we stood for and against. We’ve hated and been hated for things that are both in and out of our control. It takes courage to rise above hatred.

Courage I firmly believe is not against anyone else, but instead the small victories we make against ourselves. I could have cupped my hand over the bee, and watched him drown. Seeing him fight hopelessly though brought back the truth. Life is a crazy ride for all of us. Every one of us has had a time when we had trouble staying afloat, where the waters of the ride rushed over us, and we were only trying to keep alive. In those times, I wished I’d had someone to pull me out. So that’s why I did what I did for him now.

That bee may or may not understand what I did, yet I understand perfectly what he did for me. I was given the opportunity to gather my courage to face the fear of getting stung to do something kind for someone. Granted it was just a bee, but that bee could’ve been me, or you, or anyone in all reality. Misunderstood and frightened, sometimes even the bad guy deserves a second try. Courage allows us to rise above the fear in our minds, and kindness defines who we are inside. Together, they are the little things that like the bee, give us back our wings.