After taking a bit of a break to celebrate moms everywhere, we’re back this Sunday with a finale to the Bluey series, and this one is brought to you by my son Kincaid. I asked him this morning when I sat down to write the finale what his favourite episode was, and “The Weekend” was first on his mind.
This is an interesting episode on the study of leadership and will actually make for a pretty short story. The Weekend starts with Bingo eating cereal and her dad asking her if she knows what day it is. “Is it the weekend?” She asks, and her dad confirms it. When asked how many games they’re going to play, she proudly spreads her arms into a wingspan and says “This Many!”
“I think that’s doable” says dad, and what follows is a raucous weekend of games. They play Magic Statue - where one of the kids pretends to be a statue that keeps moving around on its owner, who desperately wants a refund from the shopkeeper. They play a version of “ding dong ditch” by causing Dad to keep answering the door, and the episode is full of laughter and giggles. There’s no real story to it, just a family enjoying a weekend day.
At one point, Bingo has a close encounter with a leaf bug - an incredible experience for a toddler, because the idea of a leaf walking is quite novel and confusing at that age. She tries to get dad’s attention, but he’s busy shaking down the shopkeeper who sold him the magic statue, and the leaf flies away in the wind. The way this is presented is an incredible view on a child’s perspective of the world, and a solid reminder of how for small children, every day is full of wonder. The day goes on, with a family dinner, and then an exhausted Chili and Bandit get the kids ready for sleep.
But Bingo isn’t ready for sleep - she’s upset that Dad missed the leaf bug. He apologizes for not hearing, and explains that he tried to buy a normal statue that would stay still, but the shopkeeper sold him a magic statue that wouldn’t hold still. Bingo then lets dad in on a little secret - she was the magic statue the whole time. After lots of giggles, they go off to dreamland.
So what’s this episode got to do with leadership? I could draw a parallel between the leaf bug, and how our leadership journeys are full of novel moments that are full of wonder - when that person you’ve mentored comes into their own, or maybe your job put you in a position to hear from someone you supported 15 years ago who is now living a great life. Just this past week, I was blessed with both of these experiences. It’s important as a leader to pause and embrace these moments along your journey; getting to see the impact of your leadership is special. It may not happen often, but these experiences where you see those you have served come into their own are like Bingo and the leaf bug. All we can do as leaders is embrace those moments as highlights of our journey.
But that’s not really what the episode is about. It’s about a great day with loved ones, full of joy and laughter and connection. There's no point to the episode beyond that - that is the point. It doesn’t matter if you are a leader or not - you are a human, and humans are social creatures and we are at our best when we are healthy, happy, and connected to each other.
So today’s a short Sunday Story because I’m going to lead you folks by example - my son is sitting next to me, and we just watched the company of Thorin Oakenshield, including Mr. Bilbo Baggins, use the last light of Durin’s Day to find the secret passage into the mountain in part 2 of The Hobbit trilogy. The joy and wonder on his face when that happened was a lot like Bingo with the leaf bug - and I don’t want to miss it.
It’s the weekend, after all. This is what it’s for.
What joy and wonder are you going to find in it with the ones you love? Let me know - and we’ll see you next Sunday. Thanks for reading.
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