THE COOLEST JACKET IN THE WORLD

When young Alfie clapped eyes on that jacket time slowed down.

The violent shades of orange and yellow clashed horribly with the bright pinks and greens strewn across the back.

But Alfie wouldn’t have described the mixture of colours in a negative way, the only way to describe this item of clothing in Alfie’s view was – THE COOLEST JACKET IN THE WORLD!!

He rushed over to his mum and immediately started begging and pleading, and sure enough, a few minutes later, Alfie was walking out of the shop wearing his new multi coloured jacket.

He stored it securely in his closet, secretly dying to show it off at school tomorrow.

But young Alfie didn’t get the reaction he expected.

Alfie had pictured his new jacket attracting all manner of compliments and revered looks but it didn’t pan out that way.

It turns out that the bright multi coloured jacket placed an eye catching target on Alfie’s back. One that was a magnet for insults, criticism and bullying.

It pains me to say it but Alfie has just learned the hard way that the nail that stands out gets hammered.

The next day getting ready to go to school, Alfie had a decision to make.

Does he wear ‘THE COOLEST JACKET IN THE WORLD!!’ and suffer the negative commentary or does he wear his boring brown jacket and take safe passage through the hallways?

Alfie felt a longing for the colourful jacket, he still loved it but it seems his classmates didn’t.

In fact they disliked it so much that they went out of their way to tell him so.

People he had never spoken to before broke the mutual silence to let Alfie know their views.

Even little Sammy Fenwick, whom Alfie previously thought incapable of speech, ran over and squeaked:

‘You look shit!’

Alfie had to admire the elegance of that insult.

‘So with the colourful jacket’ Alfie thought to himself ‘I’ll feel like the coolest person in the world but people will be mean to me. And with the brown jacket I’ll feel boring … But no insults’

…

As I believe Brenee Brown said once (but I can’t find the quote online to confirm it, so please forgive me Ms Brown if I get it wrong):

“Bravery is being oneself in spite of criticism”

So, to you reader, I ask – Where could you choose colour over boring?