Little goose Waraqa stood at the edge of the pond watching her siblings swim happily, while she trembled with fear whenever she came near the water. She was afraid of drowning, even though her mother had told her many times that geese are born knowing how to swim.

One day a sibling laughed and said, «Even the tiny chicks swim, and you’re a big goose afraid of water!». Waraqa felt deeply ashamed, and stayed away from the pond entirely for several days, refusing even to go near it.

Her mother noticed her sadness, and sat beside her patiently, saying, «Every goose learns in her own time, Waraqa, don’t compare yourself to your siblings». The mother waded slowly into the water beside her, step by step, letting Waraqa decide for herself when to put a foot in.

On the fourth day, Waraqa carefully put one foot in, then the other, and slowly began to float amid her mother’s calm encouragement. Within a few weeks, Waraqa was swimming with no less confidence than her siblings, and understood that learning in her own time had never made her less than them — it had made her braver.