This past Thursday marked the celebration of yet another wacky holiday – National Dare Day. And it got me thinking… what exactly is a dare? Is it simply doing something outside your comfort zone, or is there more meaning behind it? These questions have led me to chose dare as this week’s weekend word.
dare
der/
verb
- have the courage to do something.
- defy or challenge (someone) to do something.
noun
- a challenge, especially to prove courage.
A dare is a challenge that takes a person with a lot of courage to complete. A person willing to go outside their comfort zone and do something brave. When we were kids this equated to eating something gross or telling your crush you liked them. And there were multiple layers of seriousness to those dares ranging from a regular dare to double dog dare and ultimately, the dare made infamous by that iconic scene in A Christmas Story – the Triple Dog Dare. It’s the dare that absolutely must be completed, lest you spend the rest of your days being known as the wuss of the group.
Now that we’re older, dare begins to take on more meaning. Rather than daring to do a specific task, it becomes more inanimate. “Dare to be different.” “Dream big and dare to fail.” “Those who dare truly live.” As adults, we often associate the word dare with inspiration to tackle a huge undertaking, such as accomplishing a long-time goal, making self-improvements, etc. But this inspiration is also often seen in schools and classrooms, daring children to grow up and be their true selves; to try hard to achieve their dreams.
That’s exactly what the students at our school do every day. They dare to be greater than they were the day before. The muster up the courage to leave a life on the street, and all that they are familiar with, in order to gain an education that will provide them with the tools they need to live a better life. They are living the dare every day, and you can help by making a donation to help even more students lift themselves from poverty to prosperity.
Go ahead, I triple dog dare you…
Cristen
