I know your park is special and has everything in it you like to play with. Perhaps it's got sparkly swings, or a huge football pitch perfect for 5-a-side; it might have a deep treasure-digging sandpit or a roundabout that goes reeeeaaaallllly fast. And I know you think your park is the best, and that everyone should come and play in it. But it's not always as easy as that, as not everyone sees your park in the same way. Bit like your Thing really...
You might be there shouting away from the middle of your park about how great it is until your voice goes hoarse. I know you know how fantastic your park is when you get there, but maybe it looks too big or small or too sparkly or too plain from the outside. Maybe it doesn't look like how someone else imagines the perfect park to look like. You might have a totally different perspective that, from just a glance, makes it hard to appreciate exactly why your park is so great.
Maybe you need to go play in the other park—the one where there are lots of kids already. It might not be the best park ever (because that's your park) but at least it's busy—there are plenty of boys and girls there who are looking to have fun. So the slides might be a little dull over there, and the grass not big enough for a good run around, but that's where everyone is hanging out. "If only they knew about the perfect park", you think.
So here's what you do: you go and play in the busy park and turn a little corner of it into the perfect park—your park. You go and play with the other kids and play the way you like to. You add a bit of sparkle to the slides or bury treasure in the sandpit and you get people curious. You show them what the whole park could look like by sharing a little sample. And trust me, you'll start to draw a crowd—not everyone, but the ones who like what you're doing will see it and like it. And when they like it you can tell them about your park... the park where everything looks this good... and you'll get them excited... and then they might want to follow you over to your park because now they see how perfect it is.
You won't take everyone with you, but don't worry about that—you'll be taking the boys and girls who get you and how you do things differently.
Sometimes shouting and shouting from your perfect park isn't the best way to get play mates, you might want to go and show them what they're missing where they're already hanging out.
Take your glitter with you and leave a trail back to your sparkly swings for those people who love the idea, but remember that shouting about the sparkly to those who have yet to get it doesn't always work.
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