Anyone who's close with me knows I'm terrified of needles, but when I roomed with my bestie GiGi (a goddess with three meaningful, beautiful tattoos) I started thinking about the symbols that mattered to me. The first obvious choice was an equilateral triangle to represent the Holy Trinity. I'm a Catholic, so the hypothetical triangle tattoo would reflect my love of God. Then I thought about my spirit animal--the dolphin--and stopped right there because I'm not about to be that girl with a hypothetical dolphin tattoo. GiGi would kill me and my big sister Gabie would tease me into my thirties when I would have to hypothetically get it removed. 

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While both of those symbols had their perks, I wanted to find something creative that had classic roots. I started thinking of classic symbols, and the card suits came to mind. The diamond seemed too flashy--true, it could represent resilience, but it had elitist undertones... not the symbol for me. The clubs didn't have much of a tie to me, and the heart seemed a bit cliché to be my symbol. But when I thought of the spade, it felt right. 

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The spade is the highest ranking suit, which symbolizes excellence. I considered what excellence means to me... and what it means to the world around me. As a student, I've felt a lot of pressure to view excellence as a reward for academic success and a resume full of extracurricular accomplishments. An A on my report card always made me feel so proud of myself. I worked tirelessly all year for that A, enduring intense study schedules full of many brutal all-nighters. It meant that I was smart--ultimately the best thing you can be in a classroom setting. It was also a social status that built up who I was as a person. I was a smart girl, so I was an excellent girl. And when I didn't get the A? When I wasn't one of the smartest girls in the room? Immensely disappointing.

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I got trophies and awards for being a talented debater, being smart, being a great writer, and being a leader. You know what I never got a trophy for? 

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BEING A GOOD PERSON. 

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Not a great person, a good person. 

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But isn't that what matters most? More than how many questions you get right on a test or how many campus groups you lead? Isn't it more important (dare I say... more valuable?)  to be a good person? To be kind? Forgiving? Humble? Selfless? Patient?

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Somehow we don't get an award for those things. If we get awards for valuable things we have done, I have to ask: do we value goodness, or do we value greatness? 

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You may never get your award for being a good person because our culture often values intelligence, ambition, and bravery more than *mere* goodness. But for those who embody these those traits yet define themselves by their goodness, I applaud you. 

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Here is your applause for being kind, for having patience in trying situations, for choosing to be gentle when you're tempted to be harsh, for having compassion, for working up to forgiving someone who sinned against you, and for sharing what you could have kept for yourself. Here is the trophy for your virtue. I am proud of you, and I value your goodness. 

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At the Pink Spade, we believe that true greatness is rooted in goodness. Though we are talented, we define ourselves by our virtue. 

 

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I hope you take on the mission of The Pink Spade in your own life and give yourself a pat on the back for the good actions you do everyday. That's what I value most about you, and that's why I'm happy you're here as my reader. So read on! You'll find all sorts of posts here that celebrate goodness. 

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PS--In case you caught on to my reference, yes, I would ask the Sorting Hat to put me in Hufflepuff, though I would slay in any of the houses. (Yikes, is that my prideful Slytherin side showing?)

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