Jane’s Pride
Jane and her father, Mike, owned a secondhand boat. They called it
“High Hopes.” The two loved to spend time together on the ocean and
would often go on long fishing trips.
Mike taught Jane how to perform important tasks. Jane learned how
to steer the boat and adjust the sails. She learned how to put grease on
the intricate gears of the motor. She learned how to submerge the
anchor and secure it by putting a rope in a slot. Jane liked helping her
father, but she thought that she wasn’t very good at it. Sometimes, she
omitted important steps and made frequent mistakes. Jane thought she
wasn’t capable of manual labor.
Mike wanted to prove to her that she was indeed capable and
important. He thought of a tactic to test Jane’s skills in the context of a
catastrophe. He hid under the deck and pretended to be trapped. He
shouted, “Jane, I can’t get out! You have to get back to the dock and find
help!”
Jane began to panic. She thought she might make her usual
mistakes, which would precipitate a disaster. However, she had to listen
to her dad and act accordingly. She pulled up the anchor with all of her
might. She remembered to overlap the sails to offset the wind. She
steered the boat around buoys where the water was shallow. When they
got to shore, Mike came out from under the deck.
Jane said, “I thought you were trapped!”
Mike laughed. He said, “It wasn’t a genuine emergency.
I distorted the truth to test your abilities. Look at what a great job
you did getting the boat home safely! I knew you could do it.”
To honor his daughter, Mike decided to rename his boat.
He designated it “Jane’s Pride” and painted the name on the fore of
the ship. Jane finally had something to be proud of.
Jane’s Pride
Jane and her father, Mike, owned
a secondhand boat. They called it
“High Hopes.” The two loved to
spend time together on the ocean
and would often go on long fishing
trips.
Mike taught Jane how to perform
important tasks. Jane learned how
to steer the boat and adjust the
sails. She learned how to put grease
on the intricate gears of the motor.
She learned how to submerge the
anchor and secure it by putting a
rope in a slot. Jane liked helping her
father, but she thought that she
wasn’t very good at it. Sometimes,
she omitted important steps and
made frequent mistakes. Jane
thought she wasn’t capable of
manual labor.
Mike wanted to prove to her that
she was indeed capable and
important. He thought of a tactic to
test Jane’s skills in the context of a
catastrophe. He hid under the deck
and pretended to be trapped. He
shouted, “Jane, I can’t get out! You
have to get back to the dock and
find help!”
Jane began to panic. She
thought she might make her usual
mistakes, which would precipitate a
disaster. However, she had to listen
to her dad and act accordingly. She
pulled up the anchor with all of her
might. She remembered to overlap
the sails to offset the wind. She
steered the boat around buoys
where the water was shallow. When
they got to shore, Mike came out
from under the deck.
Jane said, “I thought you were
trapped!”
Mike laughed. He said, “It wasn’t
a genuine emergency.
I distorted the truth to test your
abilities. Look at what a great job
you did getting the boat home
safely! I knew you could do it.”
To honor his daughter, Mike
decided to rename his boat.
He designated it “Jane’s Pride”
and painted the name on the fore of
the ship. Jane finally had something
to be proud of.