The Pig In Cinderella

One of my favorite authors is Robert Fulgham. I love his simplistic approach to life. He is the one that wrote "Everything I Needed To Know I Learned in Kindergarten." The book has so many stories in it that make me laugh. A few years ago Fulgham was giving a lecture at a local church that I was able to attend. He also allowed me to record the lecture. Just yesterday I found the tape of the lecture and listened to it again. I thought today I would share one of the stories that he told during the lecture. The story of Norman the pig in Cinderella.

The story begins at a convention of kindergarten and first grade teachers in Seattle. They had asked a teacher that was a drama specialist to put on a production with kindergarten students for the teachers in attendance. The drama specialist was so good at her trade that she had on previous occasions done Wagner with the young students. She went to her students and asked the students what they would like to do. The kids voted on performing Cinderella.

All of the students were assigned parts. At least they thought everyone was assigned a part until the teacher looked over in the corner and there was Norman. Norman wasn't really strange, he was just different and was the thinker. He sort of lived on the fringes of kindergarten society. He just wasn't a group kind of guy. After the teacher saw Norman standing there she went over to him. "Norman all the parts are assigned, all the costumes are made wouldn't you like to be in Cinderella?" Norman said sure and the really cool teacher then asked Norman "What part would you like to play?" Norman responds "I want to be the pig." The Teacher "Norman there is no Pig in Cinderella." Norman "Well, there is now." Now this teacher got to thinking she could leave Norman on the sidelines or she could include Norman. She thought, well nobody knows what the pig does, nobody else wants to be the pig, so she said "Norman, you be the pig. You figure it out."

Norman not only figured it out but he created one of the finest walk on parts in kindergarten drama history. Norman decided he was Cinderella's personal pig. Where she went, he went. Didn't say anything, he had no lines. He wore pink long underwear and a dixie cup on his nose. Then he just sat next to Cinderella as he looked out at the audience. Norman reflected on his face what was happening in the story. As I am sure you remember the start of the story is really pretty grim. Cinderella didn't get to go the the ball. The step sisters did a number on her. As this was unfolding Norman had such a look of concern and angst on his face that the audience that knew the story well began to doubt that just maybe the story wasn't going to work out the same way this time. They were watching Cinderella through fresh eyes.

At the end of the story when the Prince came and put Cinderella's glass shoes on, Cinderella and the Prince rode of into the sunset to live happily ever after. When the shoes fit Cinderella Norman broke his silence. He jumped to his feet to dance aroound barking like a dog. Woof! Woof! Woof Woof! It brought the house down. There had never been such joy in Cinderella before.

When the play was over and all the childen came of to take their bows, Norman came out on all fours and received a standing ovation. Remember these were teachers in the audience, they knew that the real Cinderella in this story wasn't the pretty little girl with the button nose and the blonde hair but it was Norman. Norman the barking dancing pig. The story is about transformation. Finding your place in the scheme of things no matter who you are. The teachers in the audience also knew the real Fairy God Mother was the teacher. The drama specialist standing off the the side of the stage weeping because she had witnessed the transformation.

Don't you love this story? It really isn't a children's story but it is an adult story. Haven't we all at one time been Norman? Why can't I be in the drama of life and still be me? I want to be me and I want to be in theatre of life. Haven't we also at one time been where that teacher was? Haven't we been the person with the power to say, "come on we have room for a dancing barking pig." You can be you and you can be included. Don't we kind of play both roles recurrently during our life? My goal from now on is the play those roles as well as Norman played the dancing barking pig and use the power the teacher had to include others in the scheme of life.

May this day be a day of happiness, joy and love for you all.