Poffertjes are a delicacy that I discovered recently. They are basically mini Dutch pancakes. They are served with butter and lots of powdered sugar, which basically means that they are delicious. But it also means that you shouldn’t inhale rapidly while you are eating them because you inhale a bunch of powdered sugar, which is painful and also embarrassing as it is difficult to look poised and mature in this sort of situation. This has happened to me.

I bring up poffertjes in part because the word has the same number of syllables as “prejudice” and so it made for a nice nod-to-Austen title. Okay, that’s really the only reason that I brought them up.

I wanted to write about pride because it is a rather fraught and loaded topic for me. I was always taught that one should not be proud. (I think many of us were taught this.) But I tend to take this to an extreme in terms of putting myself down or questioning myself and my abilities unnecessarily. Someone very wise once told me that pride can be beautiful and powerful when it comes from a place of authentic strength, and I have come to believe that this is true. There is the insecure, posturing, defensive sort of pride, of course. But there is pride of a different breed, too, a pride that strides forward assertively into uncertain terrain because it knows it has something to offer.

I will make mistakes. It’s just a fact. I will flub up. I will inhale the powdered sugar. I will look like a fool. However, I believe there is a way to acknowledge my mistakes without getting mired in shame or embarrassment. I can take failure less personally, fall down without losing the conviction that I have something of value to bring to the table.

Today, I decided to cultivate a sense of beautiful pride within myself: pride in my unique perspective and abilities; and pride in my commitment to showing up fully for this crazy and miraculous adventure known as life.